Reliable Witness
by alizep
Summary: Sequel to Unreliable Witness. Fills in the pieces of history and the truth that Adonis was unable to see or remember.
1. I Don't Wanna Wait

The negotiations bored Minako to no end as they were all mostly for formalities sake, but she took special care to not let that show. That was mostly in part because she had been well trained to keep to this to herself. Endymion often smiled politely at her as if he knew, but this was never verbalized as he had been raised to keep this to his self.

She didn't know what to expect when first meeting the legendary Shitennou and found herself surprised to find that they were everything that she had thought and yet nothing at all what she had expected. Nephrite had insisted on celebrating the end of her visit with a bottle of strong flavored liquor that she had never before sampled. They drank, going glass for glass until she could hardly stand, and had she not been so inebriated she might have noticed that he nearly teetered over as well.

Jadeite and Zoicite had been the next two Shitennou she was introduced to. The two were always together despite the snarky comments Jadeite often made to Zoicite. Zoicite for his part would rarely acknowledge the comments but Minako had the feeling that it was hardly the end of the possibility of any retribution.

Zoicite intrigued her with his calm, quite demeanor. Jadeite held her attention with his hidden comments that probed her for information disguised under flirtatious remarks. For her part she indulged him, often pretending to misunderstand what he was asking as she enjoyed watching him feign amusement at her blunders.

Yet somehow the fourth man still remained a mystery to her. She didn't mind that she had yet to see the elusive leader until she began to hear his name being spoken. Snippets of conversations had trickled down to her and she found herself being overcome by a curiosity that would not be satiated. Who was he? Was he avoiding her? Did he feel that she was not worthy of his time? Curiosity and desire clawed at her, constantly bringing her thoughts back to this stranger. The more she heard of him the more she needed meet him, and as more time passed she found herself unable to think of anything else like some lovesick teenager even though she knew nothing of him.

She tried to be subtle in questioning Endymion about the man's whereabouts, often making mention of his _three_ Shitennou as if she had forgotten that there was a fourth, or pointing to Zoicite as the leader - an association she had made as more often than not he was the one who delivered the messages of the missing warrior. Minako was almost sure that her misstatements were believed, but sometimes the look in Endymion's eye would make her wonder if he saw further into her thoughts than she would have preferred. It wasn't like her to obsess like this and that fact maybe perturbed her even more.

And then everything changed, the wheels of fate set in motion.

Serenity had snuck away from the moon; a ritual that she had been warned often not to repeat. Minako had been instantly alerted by the ripple of time-space that reverberated whenever the impulsive princess would transport. Normally Mars would have been sent to retrieve her so that Minako could feign ignorance as to the young Princess's actions if asked by the Earth court should it become an issue during their talks. This time though she had decided that she would go on her own with the hopes of scaring the young girl from continuing with this any further. Within seconds she had called upon her transformation and transported herself to Earth after the runaway moonchild.

It was no surprise to have found Serenity and Endymion together – this was often where she found the impish runaway. But tonight was different. They were not alone. Another man was with them. He was tall with silver tinted hair and sharp green eyes. Venus could do little more than sputter a mumbled chastising to Serenity as she tugged away the protesting princess. The man looked at her with a smile that told her he knew everything and Venus found herself casting her eyes away for the first time that she could ever remember doing so.

He was everything that she had expected him to be. Dressed in the uniform of the Shitennou, she knew that he could be none other than the man who now occupied nearly every waking moment of her thoughts. Tall and handsome, his eyes focused on her as if they could read her and know every one of her deepest secrets. Her throat felt dry, but she was sure that she would not be able to form words appropriate enough to say to him even if she could. How could he have this effect on her when this was only their first encounter?

"_It must be hard having such a bundle of curiosity for a princess_," the deep voice called out to her, causing her back to stiffen and her cheeks to flush a crimson red that easily rivaled the color of Mars fuku. Somehow she knew that he wasn't commenting on her Princess' curiosity - it was _her_ curiosity that he disguisedly teased her about. Did he know that she inquired about him with each visit? Endymion quickly chastised the man, saying his name sternly.

_Kunzite_.

Venus mulled over his name, enjoying the way that it rolled off her tongue and caused her lips to pull into a smile. "_You must stay busy having such a voracious prince_," she responded over her shoulder, mustering up her composure. Her heart beat speedily in her chest as their eyes met for those few passing seconds. Then, with a wink, both she and the Princess were gone, transported back to the moon.


	2. Mouth Shut

"That was uncalled for," Endymion said quietly, the golden afterglow of the senshi's transport beginning to fade.

"Your behavior is equally uncalled for," Kunzite responded firmly. "You can't see the Princess like this. We finally have the attention of the Moon Queen – do you really want to anger her by flaunting your affair with her daughter?" Endymion opened his mouth to retort to the scolding but then decided against commenting further. "Protocol, Endymion," Kunzite continued as he started to walk away, heading further from the palace grounds.

Endymion looked at him curiously, wondering where his lead guardian would be going at this hour. "You haven't been yourself lately."

"Things haven't been the same lately," Kunzite responded over his shoulder, aware that Endymion would proceed to follow him once he decided that he was more interested in satiating his own curiosity than in being stubborn. "Haven't you heard the rumors circulating around your own lands?"

"That's cold even for you."

"I'm concerned for the people."

"As am I."

"And so you will do what you think is best by forming this alliance."

"You're judging me." Endymion felt childish by his retort but he often felt like he were a child again when around the slightly older man. He respected Kunzite's opinion greatly but often wondered if the man was unable to think outside of his responsibilities. "Is it wrong that I love her?"

"Love cannot be controlled." His voice was cool, yet without emotion, leaving Endymion to speculate what it was that he wasn't saying.

"Why won't you give me the answers that I'm asking for?" The question was empty, already knowing what the response would be.

"Why do you ask me questions that you already know the answers to?" Kunzite smiled thinly at Endymion's frown.

"Are you back to stay now?" Endymion asked curiously.

"As you ordered," Kunzite replied, his arm waving out as he offered a mock noble bow.

Endymion rolled his eyes in response. "You don't trust the Venusian." There was no point in posing his words as a question.

"There's more to her than I think you realize. She's watching when your back is turned. She has proven herself to be more warrior than woman and I think that her curiosity can be a dangerous thing."

"She's you minus some anatomy," Endymion said, smiling crookedly.

Kunzite laughed at Endymion's words, the sound deep and genuine, something not often heard from him. "Perhaps I have met my match."

"I'd like you to take over negotiations," Endymion interrupted, holding his breath for a moment afterwards. "I want you to be the ambassador to the alliance. I know of the dark army growing to the north and I will take Nephrite with me to investigate. Perhaps it would be best, although not at all desirable, for me to distance myself from Serenity for some time."

"Is this what you wish?"

Endymion kicked at a rock that rested in his path. "No, but I will do whatever I have to in order to make this alliance succeed." Endymion paused. "I will marry her," he finally said after several moments of silence passed.

Kunzite sighed and stepped to the edge of the high cliff that they had finally arrived at. He looked down over the city below him, lights twinkling in windows at the late hour catching his eyes. A cool breeze engulfed him, wrapping his cape around him like a protective blanket, causing several strands of his too long hair to streak his vision with silver. The winds of change were upon them, he thought ironically.

Slowly he turned to look back at his Prince noticing that a small stray leaf had caught in his midnight hair reminding Kunzite instantly of the mischievous child that his Prince had once been. That image was immediately replaced when he looked into those piercing blue eyes that looked to him expectantly, showing him the wise man that had grown in the child's stead. Kunzite knew that the events set in motion could not be stopped no matter how hard he battled the fates. "I know," he said, the wind blowing harder, causing his cape to flare out behind him sharply before dying back down to a gentle breeze.


	3. I Can't Stay Away

_**Once is Happenstance**_

Venus stood atop the edge of the cliff overlooking the terran village. Behind her the turrets of the palace could scarcely be seen through the dense wooded forest she had passed through to get here. Light footprints were faintly visible in the soft earth around her as if someone had recently stood in the same place that she now occupied. Her eyes glanced down to her sandal clad feet, noticing that she had somehow come to stand exactly atop a pair of larger footprints that had been left by a man in boots if the finely shaped tread left behind was anything to go by.

Gusts of wind blew against her skin and she crossed her arms over her chest against the chill. Her skirt rippled against her pale skin as golden tendrils wrapped around her body. She closed her eyes and let her senses take in her surroundings, enjoying the scent the forest gave off as well as the songs of the birds flying overhead. There were no birds on Venus, nor was there any forest for her to lose herself in. The rays of the sun did little to warm her skin as the heat radiating from the glowing orb was nowhere near as warm as the sun on her home planet. It was the wind though that brought her the most enjoyment. Her planet was ravaged by the storms blowing along the surface and so her people had been forced to the skies where the majestic floating palace of Magellan hung in the air like a delicate jewel along the surface of the water.

Her ears perked at the sounds of someone approaching nearby. Without pausing to see who it was, she called on her powers and teleported away.

_**Twice is Coincidence**_

Again she found herself standing on the precipice. She stood precariously at the edge overlooking the sharp drop with interest. The contrast of the imposing sheer drop against the peaceful background of the sleeping town intrigued her. On her home planet, she was not afforded such a sight_. The gardens off of her room were located on the east wing of the palace and overlooked the palace walls. Once she had stood atop the wall, her toes against the edge of the stone and marble edge, her arms out at her sides as she balanced herself like a delicate bird or ballerina. Adonis stood nearby, his arms crossed over his chest, making every effort to appear angry at her for doing something so dangerous when really she knew that he wanted nothing more than to reach out and pull her down off the wall and to safety. Did she really think that she could fly? If she stepped off the edge of the wall, would she soar above the plummeting ground below her? Or would she fall into the abysmal storm that raged below her?_ Standing here though, she didn't feel that same urge. She was content to stay above high and watch the lives of those below her unfold.

She remained statuesquely still, her hands clasped behind her back. The wind shear was much less today, not nearly as imposing as it had been the last time. Her eyes glanced down to where her sandaled feet rested atop the dry earth. The footprints that had been there last time still remained, but this time they were much more faded. Had it been a traveler who paused here on his way to where ever it was that his destiny was calling him?

Her mind was so absorbed in her random thoughts that she didn't notice that she was no longer alone. Silently she cursed herself for not sensing the arrival of this person until they were right behind her. A shadow eclipsed hers and she tensed, unsure of who it was and unwilling to turn to find out. A golden glow began to encompass her as she prepared to transport. As her body began to fade she felt the sudden touch of the person besides her. Fearing who it was, and not wanting them to be transported with her, she froze, her powers fading as her body lost its faint appearance. A wave of dizziness washed over her at the sudden release of her powers, but she forced the vertigo sensation from her mind as she spun to look upon the face of the man who had managed to catch her off guard.

Sharp green eyes looked down on her and she could feel herself growing pale. She wasn't supposed to be here without an invitation from Earth and the approval of the moon. Of all those that could have caught a glimpse of her on that night, why did it have to be him?

"If I had known we were expecting a delegate of the moon I would have been more prepared for your visit," the deep voice said with a trace of humor, finally breaking the silence. "It seems that a Princess's curiosity never can be satiated."

Venus tried not blush at his comment. There was a lightness to his voice that told her he was teasing her, but there was also a deeper sound underneath that made her think that he was perhaps not happy with her presence. "Please give my apologies to Endymion," she finally responded after a brief moment. "I will depart at once." Kunzite's grip tightened on her wrist, not enough to hurt her, but just enough so that she knew he was not done with her. Somehow she had forgotten that he had taken possession of it once she heard the sound of his voice.

"Then why are you here?"

She opened her mouth to respond, thousands of excuses pouring into her mind, yet it was somehow the truth that came out instead. "Your planet is beautiful. I just wanted to see it." He looked at her without speaking and she fought to keep herself from saying any more than she already had. Something about the way he looked at her made her feel as if she wanted – no, needed – to tell him everything like she had no control over her own tongue. His presence was daunting and she had to pause to remind herself that she was the leader of the senshi and not just some peasant girl that he could control.

"Kunzite!" a voice shouted out to them through the wooded area. "My fearless leader!" Venus strained her ears and recognized the voice as belonging to Nephrite. "You are either out here for some horrid training session or else you have found yourself some pretty girl that you plan on keeping all to yourself whilst you do dastardly deeds."

While Kunzite's attention was diverted by the arrival of his fellow Shitennou, Venus pulled her wrist free and leaped back from the tall imposing man. His eyes narrowed as he looked to where she had moved to, only to catch a glimpse of her form fading into that now familiar golden haze.

Nephrite emerged from the woods with a bottle in his hand and leaned against the nearest tree. "Hmm," he sighed. "It was just as I feared." He shook his head and took a drink from the brown tinted glass decanter. "One day I will catch you out here doing things with a pretty girl rather than with your own sword."

Kunzite walked up to the auburn haired man and grabbed the bottle with one hand while punching him in the chest with his other. "Asshole," he murmured as he walked back towards the cliff's edge, taking a long swig from the bottle.

_**Third time is….**_

Kunzite sat on the edge of the cliff, one knee drawn up to his chest while the other leg dangled off the drop. Nearby rested his leather belt and sheathed sword. The light footsteps behind him did not escape his attention, although he made no effort to acknowledge them. Whoever it was, was taking every precaution to not be heard, yet to him it sounded as if they were walking in metal boots along a stone paved road. Even when he could see his belt slowly being dragged from where he had left it at his side from the corner of his eye, he still did not make any move to indicate that he noticed them. It wasn't until he could hear the metallic grating noise of his sword being pulled from his sheath that he finally spoke.

"Still not satiated?" he asked her, his eyes still watching the open space in front of him.

"You were waiting for me," Venus said lowly, her eyes fixated on the heavy blade in her hands.

"You were watching me." He turned to face her. She studied his sword, looking at it as if she expected something more than the dull moonlight reflecting off the pristine surface. "You don't like what you see?" he asked her, his left eyebrow arching.

She looked at him, unable to decide whether he was asking about his sword or himself. "I don't know what I was expecting."

"We have a saying on Earth."

Venus smiled lightly, her hand putting the sword back into its sheath. "And what's that?"

"When something happens once it's called happenstance, twice is coincidence, and three times is enemy action." His eyes watched as her hand tightened over the hilt of his sword. He knew his words were almost daring her to use his own weapon against him. "This is the third time that we're seeing each other like this."

"So this is how one garners the attention of Endymion's ever elusive lead Shitennou?"

He smiled at her comment. "One does not want to garner my attention."

"I see." Her fingers began to wind themselves around the length of his leather belt, the action giving her reason to look away from his piercing eyes.

"You can sit if you wish to stay."

"I shouldn't be here."

"No you shouldn't," he agreed. "But then again, you shouldn't have been here the other times that I caught you either." She looked at him hesitantly and his gaze softened. "Your princess loves the prince."

"I'm afraid that he will break her heart."

"My voracious prince?" he asked. She laughed deeply at his comment. "Many larger men have been punished for smaller words."

"But not me?" she asked with a trace of curiosity, taking the smallest step closer towards him.

He smiled at her, his eyes crinkling slightly, and he could see how the small gesture seemed to momentarily affect her. "Never a delegate of the moon." His eyes looked at her hands, noticing the way that her slender fingers still held his sword. "Do you plan on using that?" he asked her.

Venus looked at her hands and debated with herself as to what she would do with the weapon. She knew that she didn't need to fear him, but the idea of leaving him armed while it was just the two of them left her feeling uneasy for reasons that she couldn't name. In the end she closed the small distance between them and knelt down to hand him back his property. His fingers brushed over hers and for a brief second she wondered if he would take this opportunity to grab hold of her again. A part of her wanted to be free of his touch, the other to have his hand move from over hers to rest against her hip, his thumb brushing gently over the skin giving away to her waist. But then the moment passed and he broke their contact, his long fingers weaving around the brown leather as he took it from her and placed it back on the ground nearby where he had originally put it.

His eyes studied her as she remained down on one knee, her fingers splayed against the ground, completely statuesque. She was as beautiful as he was told she would be and he understood why he had been warned against being so near to her. Wide innocent eyes looked at him, but he didn't allow himself to be swayed by their light blue depths. She was a senshi and he could not let himself forget that. While her status might be more that of a figurehead than an experienced warrior, he knew that when pushed she would have no trouble pushing back. The only thing that pulled at his mind was why she was acting as she was now. Nephrite had had no trouble conversing with the girl, and Jadeite had been quick to mention how she evaded most of his questioning no matter how discreet his questions had been posed. Zoicite, as expected, made little effort to speak with her, allowing Jadeite to handle that task. Why was it that he could not get her to speak to him then?

And then he saw it.

Beauty.

The way her eyes never quite seemed to hold his. The way her eyes would break away for the briefest second to take in the details of his face, almost tracing the contours of his jaw line.

It was beauty she looked for and beauty that called to her. She is a child of Venus and this fact he should have known.

"If you have questions about my planet," he said kindly, yet cautiously, changing his approach, "you may ask me and I would be happy to tell you whatever you would like to know."

Venus hesitated for a moment before responding. "I already know quite a bit about your home. I was required to learn everything once I became the designated ambassador." She paused, reconsidering her words. "It's not that I wasn't interested to learn, but before this there was just a lot more that….I didn't….know." She swallowed despite the dry feeling in her throat. Why did he have to look at her so intensely? It was as if he could see everything she was. "I should go," she said softly, her body extending to its full height as she rose.

Kunzite copied the action, smoothly rising to his feet and standing several inches taller than her. "I'm interested to know more about you, Minako," he said sveltely, his voice smooth and deep. "Please come to see me again."

She took a step back, not missing how he had called her by her given name rather than by her senshi name. Was that an accident?

"Yes." She stood suddenly, part unsure of why she agreed and part angry for having to admit to herself what she already knew. "I should go," she repeated again. Then she disappeared in that now familiar flash of golden light.


	4. Change the World

Kunzite didn't know how many minutes he stood there, but when he could no longer feel the remains of her teleportation, and the realization of how late it was began to sink in, he finally pulled his eyes away and started walking back towards the palace. The path he walked had long since been forgotten as was evident by the heavy overgrowth of weeds and small flora that began to fill in the once gravel covered route. His mind continued to be plagued with thoughts of the beautiful Venusian in part wondering why it was that he could sense her presence when she appeared on the planet but not when the other senshi, the red clad one, would do the same. No one else seemed to be affected, but he could feel a tingle deep in his spine.

At first he didn't understand what this was or what may be causing it. Then he had finally come face to face with the blonde senshi as she arrived on the Earth to retrieve her stray princess. The normally dull sensation had felt magnified from the moment that he saw the first signs of the golden haze. Had he not been familiar with the sensation of the shifting of the space-time around him he may have been more alarmed by the piercing feeling announcing this newest arrival. As much as this thought clung to his mind, he felt himself even more intrigued with the concept of the power that she wholly possessed.

The walk seemed to end all too soon as he found himself on the edge of the wooded area that bordered the palace. Patrol guards paced along the perimeter of the stone walls, something that normally did not deter Kunzite as he went to and fro. They would say nothing to him even if they found the ability to make eye contact with him at all. Despite the fact that they were all loyal to Endymion, these men were separate from the Shitennou. They did not fight side by side, nor did they even train together. It had become a tradition generations ago that the King's four would be the elite and for no other reason than that, the proverbial line had been drawn forever keeping them from being anything more than the figureheads they had been named for. Perhaps it was for this reason alone that he didn't wish to be seen by these men tonight. Let them find other topics more interesting to speak of than whether or not he was the man of legend he was said to be or if perhaps he had found himself some wench to have a nightly affair with.

Kunzite turned and continued walking through the dense growth of trees, his cape wrapped around his shoulders as he kept to the darkness of the woods, his feet not making a sound as he moved carefully around the debris of fallen leaves and broken branches. When he finally emerged, he had found himself a good distance from the palace and standing in front of a spacious cottage.

His knuckles rapped against the wood door once before turning the knob and stepping inside the poorly lit room. There was no need to make any further attempts to announce his self or to wait for a proper invitation to enter as the woman inside would undoubtedly be prepared for his arrival. The room smelled of sandalwood incense mingled in with the scent of whatever it was she had prepared for dinner earlier that evening. Lit red candles had been placed at random throughout the room, across narrow window ledges and table tops. As the door fell closed his eyes settled upon the form of the red haired woman whose eyes were affixed to the image outside her window. He had difficulty deciding if she was staring at the moon or a particular turret of the palace.

"Your absence has not gone unnoticed," she murmured. "Although the reason for your disappearance still remains a mystery to them," she added as an afterthought.

"No one needs to know of my whereabouts tonight," Kunzite answered, his hands picking up an odd shaped glass container filled with a light colored substance that he couldn't identify.

"You come to me thinking of a woman." There was a harshness to her voice that could not remain hidden under her pretense of casual conversation.

Kunzite chuckled at her words, placing the container back on the table with care. "It's not the woman that I am thinking of." He glanced up to see the woman staring back at him skeptically. "You think I come here telling lies, my dear Madelyn?"

"Your paths never needed to cross had you listened to me. Do you love her now?"

He laughed a bit louder this time, seating himself in a chair across the room that somehow remained cloaked in shadows. "Does it happen so quickly?"

Madelyn seemed to hiss in response as she tossed her hair over her shoulder, looking at the silver haired soldier. "You mock me."

"You underestimate me."

"She will destroy you."

"She is just a girl who will do as I ask her to."

A crooked smile spread over the woman's face. "And what is it that you will ask of her? To share the lovemaking customs of her people?"

The smile melted from Kunzite's face instantly being replaced by thin lips and glaring eyes. "You try to hide your love of a certain prince all the while pretending that you only wish to be his loyal sage. Have you been introduced to the princess of the moon yet?" he asked, the mocking tone of his voice evident. Madelyn grabbed a glass object from the window sill and threw it at him with all the force she could muster. Kunzite caught it with ease, the object thumping against the palm of his hand. He glanced down at the object, measuring its heavy weight for a moment before placing it on the nearby table to his left and rising from his seat. "You play a dangerous game and it only continues because I allow it. You have been loyal to me and your abilities as a sage have proven themselves to be second to none." As he spoke he crossed over to the woman, his fingers tangling loosely in the soft curls of her hair. He could hear her breaths coming out ragged and knew that she would offer him no further argument for the moment. "I have heard your words and I understand them well." A small smile formed over his lips. "You can't tell me that you don't see the endless potential that I do. Imagine having a senshi fighting for our cause, the ability to move throughout the galaxy in the blink of an eye. I can turn a blind eye to her beauty as easily as I can turn one to your unexplained disappearances during the new moon."

Madelyn struggled internally, wanting to brush the man's hand away from her but at the same time almost feeling the need to close the distance between them with her lips. Green eyes stared back at her, taunting her, almost daring her to make a move. In the end it was her mind reminding her that he wasn't the man that she truly desired that allowed her to take a slight step back increasing the distance between them. "I am but a sage who lives to serve her prince. Do you have anything more that you wish of me?"

"Not tonight," he murmured, his lips brushing over her cheek as he turned to leave, his cape sweeping through the air as it trailed behind him. "I think you underestimate me," Kunzite said, pausing in the doorway. "She has no control over me. Rather I think it is I who will subdue her."

"There are things in the world more powerful than us." Madelyn's voice was soft and distant. "Things are not always what they seem."

"No," Kunzite agreed, "they often are not."


	5. In Another Life

Kunzite hadn't bothered to return to the overlook – he knew that he would no longer find her there. She had been scared by his presence – that much was obvious – and it would undoubtedly be a while before she made herself known again. Madelyn's words from days earlier still rang in his ears: words of warning. He could see himself falling for the Senshi if he allowed himself to think with anything other than his head, but he had never been so blindly foolish as to do something like that. It wasn't in him to make rash choices, and so he refused to let his mind follow any further down that path of reasoning.

They were nearing the final phase of the current cycle of the moon, and the Venusian ambassador for the Alliance would be returning to the Earth to meet with Endymion the next morning. Why did he feel anxious about this? Would she tell Endymion of their meeting even if it would mean trouble for herself? Or maybe it was that it would not be her at all who stepped off the space vessel, but another Senshi assigned to take her place?

Keeping to the shadows, Kunzite walked through the bit of dense woods that made up part of the enclosed gardens. Some of the lower patrol had seen him entering and had made sure to divert their eyes when he passed. They could not understand who he was or what his purpose was – they could not bring themselves to try. In their minds these so called 'heavenly kings' were nothing more than the sons of rich men who bought their sons' way into these esteemed positions.

They didn't know that only Kunzite was descended from an old royal bloodline, and that the other three were destined to become no one of any importance until the time of their discovery. They didn't understand the prophecies of the High Four, but those that believed in their gods thought that the Shitennou were the devil incarnate for being the holders of unholy powers that were never proven to exist. Rumors are only rumors, and perhaps it was best that no one knew the truth if it kept them all at bay. If the people of Earth truly understood the powers of the moon people - and most notably the Senshi – he didn't even want to think of what may happen. He wasn't wary of their magic though. More than anything he wanted to know more of it, to be able to witness it, to feel it.

A light drizzle had started falling and he almost didn't notice the way that the breeze around him shifted causing him to pause, ready to catch the elusive Moon Princess attempting a late night rendezvous with his Prince, when he instead felt the cool sensation racing down his spine, stopping him in his tracks. His eyes darted around, taking in his surroundings, trying to find the source of this evasion, when he saw the petite blonde haired girl standing behind one of the tall trees. Her hand rested on the tree's bark and she seemed to be peering around the side of the tree, almost comically, towards the palace as if she were unsure whether or not to move forward. Drops of rain caught on the strands of her hair accenting the highlights and making the tendrils appear more like spun gold than hair. He cleared his throat to get her attention and her eyes instantly turned on him.

For a brief second he wondered if she would try to flee.

"Are you seeking out your princess or my prince?"

Her mouth parted slowly and then closed as she seemed conflicted by her answer. "Both," she finally said.

"I would have expected to see the Martian if that were the case."

"Would you have preferred to meet her here instead?" Venus asked, her voice steady as to not give away her thoughts.

"It is Jadeite who is in love with the Martian," Kunzite responded. He mentally reeled at his own words. Was he trying to assure her?

"They all inevitably fall in love with the Martian," she responded with a sigh, stepping away from the large tree that had been obstructing his full view of her.

His eyes looked her over, for the first seeing her not as a senshi, but as a woman worthy of the title of goddess. Silky material hung from her shoulders and cascaded down her body, pooling at her feet. Perhaps it was that alone which caused his guard to become lowered. "Not all."

Her eyes reflected the way that she contemplated his words, but then the moment passed and her eyes returned to their more innocent expression. "Where will I find my princess?" He quirked his eyebrow at her and smiled as her realization set in. "Oh," she finally said. "Then perhaps you wouldn't mind interrupting him so that I can bring back Serenity before her mother notices?"

"You shouldn't stay out here in the rain."

"It would be ok for you to do so though?" she countered.

His eyes looked over her body, yet she did not shy away from him as he would have expected. "I'm better dressed for the elements out here. Your dress doesn't seem to bode as well."

She glanced down at herself and noticed the way that the sheer material had gained a bit of translucency from being pressed against the wet tree. Then - as if to further prove the point - the rain began to fall harder on them, quickening in intensity. "Would it be better that I walk through the palace as so?"

He wanted to smile at her response, but he found that there was no humor in his thoughts at the moment. The thought of the many other eyes seeing her as he did bothered him. It was him that she pursued and he didn't want to know how he would feel if her attentions changed, so he slowly approached her, sensing the way that her body tensed by his closer proximity. He didn't know why she was wary of him, but he felt it was probably better she of him than the other way around. "At the very least let me give you something to cover yourself up with." His fingers deftly unhooked the clasps to his cape and had it removed and around her shoulders in seconds. The material that stopped mid-calf on him was nearly to the ground on her.

She looked down on the heavy cape now covering her sodden, clinging gown which had begun to hug her body from the collecting moisture. The material smelled of him, and she found that she wanted to be closer to him so that she could inhale the scent of his skin rather than just the lingering cologne that surrounded her. "I have to tell you -."

The sound of dogs barking nearby interrupted her and her eyes grew wide as she saw approaching figures in the distance. She took a step back and the golden aura of her powers encompassed her. Without giving himself a chance to think over his actions, Kunzite reached forward and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her to him, noticing the way that his arm wound easily around the waist of her lithe body. She smelled sweet, like flowers and candy, and he couldn't stop himself from inhaling deeply as his face came in contact with her hair.

His eyes closed despite his mind urging against it so that he could remember every detail of what he would see. Before he knew what happened, they had materialized further inside the palace grounds to a place where they were momentarily free from the pelting of the rain. Her residual energy surged through him, making him feel as if small shocks were exploding in his mind.

For a moment he felt as if he should be embarrassed at the look that surely must be on his face, but she gave no inclination that she was thinking anything of the sort. Instead her eyes seemed hooded and her lips slightly parted. How had they gotten so close?

Was it he leaning in towards her?

Her breath came out in short breaks, warm against his own lips.

"We should go inside," he said, breaking the silence. "Your princess…." His voice trailed off as his thoughts were pulled towards the sensation of her form pressed against his. Her toned body creating ample curves, and the ever lingering sensation of her breasts pushed against his chest made his mind drift towards thoughts that did anything but revolve around her princess.

"Kunzite!" Jadeite's shout floated across the courtyard. The sound broke his attention away from her for just an instant, but it was enough. He looked back to her just in time to see her hands cross over her chest as she faded away from his sight, leaving a faint layer of gold dust on his fingertips as he reached out for her, his hands not realizing what his mind already knew until they passed through the space that she had previously occupied. Jadeite had called his name at least half a dozen times before he could finally pull his eyes away.

He cursed silently at the interruption, and paused to take a deep breath before speaking. "Tell Endymion that the Princess is to return to her home now."

Jadeite looked at him, confusion evident in his eyes. "The princess isn't here. Endymion's in the kitchen with Zoicite and Nephrite already halfway to being in a total drunken stupor. They sent me to find you, although I was expecting to find you in the gardens rather than here in the courtyard."

Kunzite turned his head to look at the blonde haired man who stood several inches shorter than him. He fought to keep him mind from straying back to the girl he had been holding in his arms just moments ago. Visions of the goddess in the pale golden gown invaded his thoughts as he could still see the way that the material had clung to her, and he began to think how it would feel to peel the matted cloth away from her cool skin and how quickly it would start to warm up under his touch.

"Endymion is where?" he asked, not having heard all that Jadeite said.

"He's on his way to becoming completely shit-faced, with Nephrite convincing him to go shot for shot. He's officially throwing down the challenge to you, too," Jadeite said in an attempt to regain Kunzite's attention.

Kunzite strode from the courtyard without another word, his shoulders squared as he fought to keep his anger from his face. He was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't even realized that he made it back to his room until he was standing outside the door.

She had lied. For whatever reason, she had lied about her purpose on Earth and shattered his armor with a soaking, see-through dress taut over perfect curves, with eyes deep and blue enough to drown in. And he had fallen for it, almost, and even now the memory feel of her soft body pressed against him was enough to make him want to throw himself in without holding his breath.

And they said that the Shitennou were devils incarnate. The devil had nothing on a breathtaking blonde standing soaking wet in the rain.


	6. This is How it Feels

Kunzite pushed open the door to his room and allowed it to fall closed with a heavy thud. He didn't feel the need to be concerned with silence as his mind was currently full of chaos. She had deceived him, allowed him to believe her intentions were innocent. Could it be true that those of the Moon really were spying on them as he had heard?

His thoughts jumped sporadically to the sensation of her transformation that still lingered on his skin and left his mind reeling. A dull pain pulsed at the base of his skull from the moment that they reappeared but it wasn't until she was gone that his noticed it, as well as the increasing sensation of pain. Was it simply a lingering effect of his first encounter with true magic? Or was there maybe something wrong with him caused by his own impulsive decision to follow after her? It amazed him the strength of the spell she cast over him. How his thoughts moved from one extreme to the next. A month ago he had not even the slightest interest in meeting the Venusian, and when he finally had, he faced her without even blinking an eye against her legendary beauty. Now though, with each increasing visit, and the time lapses between the subsequent ones, he found that his disinterest was growing into something more carnal.

She was only a woman, he couldn't allow himself to forget that.

As long as he kept himself focused he would be able to use her attraction to him to find out what it was she was really after. Perhaps it was cold of him to think so callously, but he knew that when he spoke to her she would tell him whatever he wanted to hear.

He pulled at the wet material of his jacket and untucked it from his pants, cringing as the cold water dripped down his legs. Long fingers worked to unclasp the hooks holding his jacket closed, and when the last one was released, he shrugged his arms free and allowed the jacket to fall to the ground in a sopping heap. The shirt that had been under the jacket was as equally saturated and the feeling of the cool room air sent goose bumps running up his arms and down his chest. He started to pull the shirt over his head when he heard a slight shuffling sound coming from further in his darkened room. Sharp eyes looked towards the open balcony door to see the troublesome princess standing before him, a cape still draped over her shoulders.

"Princess," he said, his voice cool as he peeled off the cold cotton shirt to reveal the smooth planes of his chest.

"Kunzite," she responded, her tone matching his.

He didn't miss the way that her eyes looked him over but he made no indication that he noticed. His hand slid over the buckle of his belt and paused, deciding if he should be disarming himself in her presence. Her princess-like appearance had caused him to drop his guard once already tonight, twice and he would be deserving of whatever folly he was walking into. His eyes ran down the length of her figure despite much of her being covered by the heavy traveller's cape.

"Strip," he said to her, his voice gruff as he removed his belt and sheathed sword, placing both objects onto a nearby table that was placed against the wall.

Her eyes went wide at his words. "No," she rebutted, her voice sharp.

"You came to the Earth under the false pretense of your runaway princess – who I assume is safely tucked away in her own bed rather than my prince's - and now you are here in my bedroom at this late hour of your own accord. I can only assume that you have one purpose in mind and I see no reason to delay it any further."

"I am a delegate of the moon. It would not be so unreasonable that I was here to deliver a message."

"But you're not," he responded, his voice confident. "You are a delegate of the moon, here - on earth - without the knowledge of your queen or my prince." He turned his back on her and started walking across the room towards his private bathroom. She watched him, her body as statuesque as he remembered. When he returned from the bathroom there was a towel draped over his shoulders and another in his hand that he extended to her.

Her eyes looked down on him, filled with distrust. When she refused his offer, he took a step closer and pressed the towel against her stomach, grabbing her hand and placing it over the cotton material to keep it from dropping. With his other hand he reached towards her, his fingertips brushing against the base of her neck. Her mouth appeared to open to voice some protest, but then stopped midway when she realized he was only removing the cape from her shoulders.

"Do you speak to all dignitaries like this?" Venus asked as she clenched the towel in her hands.

Kunzite chuckled and walked to his dresser where he removed a folded shirt. "Not all, just the ones that appear in my bedroom at all hours of the night." He noticed the change in her expression that he could only take as jealousy at his comment. "I could offer you something dry to wear if you'd like." She shook her head at his offer. "Are you going to stand there all night in that wet dress?"

"I should leave," she said, although she made no motion to do so.

"You say that a lot."

A pause. "Because I shouldn't be here."

"Then go." Kunzite slid his arms into a dark blue shirt, leaving the front unbuttoned. His still wet hair dampened the shoulders of the shirt. "Should I expect to see you again tonight? Or will you be silent enough to not wake me when you do decide to return?"

"You haven't asked why I'm here. You never do."

"I know why you're here, Princess." He moved closer to her. "While I do believe that your insatiable curiosity of my planet has led you on your renegade journeys, I think we both know that is an insignificant part of what you really want." He took the bunched up towel from her and opened it before wrapping it around her shoulders. Small goose bumps dotted her skin and her gown of silk was still just as wet and as fitted as when he had seen her last.

"Then satiate my curiosity," she said, leaving him amused by her bold comment when in all previous conversations she had always seemed so quick to flee at the thought of his touch.

"No."

"Why?"

"I've already warned you about seeking out my attention."

"It seems that I already have it." the blonde moved a step towards him, closing the distance between them. Her palm rested against the warm skin of his chest before falling with tantalizing slowness over his abdomen, stopping at the waistline of his pants where her finger hooked over the material.

Kunzite, to his credit, kept his features fixed and unflinching, not wanting to let her know what thoughts entered his mind as her fingers had begun making their trail down his torso. "I am no boy, Princess. Don't ask for such things that you are not ready for."

He could tell that his words both scared and excited her. His eyes watched her as she looked back at him, her eyes flickering as she glanced down at him. "You asked me to strip."

"And I expected a slap in the face for it."

"And if I did as you asked?"

"Then I would send you back to the moon and your curious princess without the clothing that you chose to leave behind. Although I can't say that I have any practical use for your dress."

"I will leave then."

"It's best that you do," Kunzite said, even though he could feel his blood rushing at the thought of the perfect body that was partially hidden beneath the draping fabric of her clothing. He knew that it would be best if she left, leaving him alone to deal with his frustration and lingering fantasies. It would have to be his own hand that brought him relief from the building tension of her visit, but in the back of his mind he knew that he would never find the same satisfaction that would come from having her soft hands stroking him. For this reason he wanted her to stay because he knew that he could have her and he craved the feel of her magical touch against his skin. When she said nothing further, nor made any motion to move, he finally spoke. "I won't be kind." Without any further words he placed his hand at the base of her head, fingers tangling in her hair as he pulled her chin upwards to him, closing the distance as their lips came down crushing together.

He felt no hesitation in her response.

The lone finger that had been hooked into the waistband of his pants was joined by three more and then a fourth as they slid down the front of his breeches, wrapping around his already hardened bulge. With a haste he hadn't been expecting, he yanked one of the sleeves of her dress off her shoulder, the wet material tearing as it was pulled from her body.

Droplets of cold water dripped from long golden tendrils onto her bare breasts, sliding down porcelain skin where it rolled off one of her hardened nipples. He looked at her, hunger in his eyes for a second before his lips descended down on the rounded flesh, his tongue flicking at the hardening nubs. She arched into him, his hands sliding down to her back where he held her firmly against him as if she might escape – which for the first time it seemed she had no intention of doing. His warm lips and hot breath against her chilled skin made her feel feverish as a strangled gasp escaped from her, his teeth nipping at her sensitive skin.

She shrugged her other shoulder out of the remaining sleeve, moaning as his roaming hand fell over her other breast. His fingers kneaded against the skin, her nipple caught between his thumb and palm, his lips descending on hers and silencing any further sounds. Her dress slid the down the length of her body to pool on the floor at her feet.

His large hands lifted her from the ground, and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist, her hand sliding free of his erection to grasp the back of his neck. Their lips met in another fierce kiss as she felt her back being pressed against a surface that was unbelievably harder than the body she was being clutched to. A cold chill ran through her and she shivered into his touch – in part from the wet glass cooled by the spring night air, and in part from her arousal of what she knew was still to come.

Her fingers tangled in his hair as she pulled him even closer still, desire running hot through her veins. Her hand slid down the length of his throat, tracing the contour of his shoulder bone with slender fingers. His hand reached for hers and she brushed it away, refusing to let him deter her in anyway. Her fingers grasped the waistline of his pants and deftly undid the button and zipper before he could take another breath. When, for a moment, he appeared that he would pull away from her she wrapped her hand tightly around his erection and guided him into her, impaling herself on the length.

He had said that he would not be kind and he was true to his word. There were no gentle caresses nor sweet words to be shared. Just two bodies moving together, sweat starting to bead on the surface of their skin as the glass behind them fogged from their heat.

"Why were you here?" he growled into her ear as he thrust himself into her.

"I-" she started to respond, but stopped as she felt the beginning of her orgasm starting to overwhelm her senses. He pulled himself back so that only half of his shaft remained in her, his thrusts now shallow, not allowing her to come. "Please," she begged him, trying to pull him back into her, her nails digging into his shoulders deep enough that had he not still been wearing his dark blue shirt, small half moon shaped marks would have dotted his tanned skin.

"Why, Minako?" he asked again, his forehead pressed against hers and he struggled to keep himself in control.

Her eyes opened and she stared into dark green depths laced with gray. "You."

Kunzite's hands squeezed tight around her, his eyes widening as her single answer repeated itself in his head. He pulled her against him, plunging himself deep inside of her, his mind so distracted that he did not even realize what his motion had done to her until he could feel the sudden tightening of her inner muscles encompassing him as she threw her head back and rode out her orgasm. For the first time he lost control as his mind went completely blank. He came as she finished.

For a minute they remained locked together in silence, her body held up by his, pinned against the glass of the balcony doors. Her bare chest pressed against his as she breathed deeply, her heartbeat beginning to slow from its rushed pace as she came down from her climax. She brushed golden strands from her face and Kunzite looked at her, his jaw once again locked, his expression unreadable. Whether he was angry or satisfied she couldn't be sure and so began to shift her weight so that the toes of one foot could find balance on the ground. He released his hold on her, allowing both of her feet to touch the floor so that she would be able to stand on her own. When her hands unwound from his shoulders he adjusted his pants to begin redressing himself. She made no motion to move, her body looking so ethereal in the moonlight that had he not just been touching her he wouldn't have believed her to be real.

Kunzite turned his eyes away from her long enough to see that the moon was slowly making its descent across the sky. It would be morning in a few hours. "Will you stay or go?"


	7. Take Me on the Floor

He had called and she had come.

Loyal to a fault, he reminded himself of the red haired sage that now tended to him. He may not always trust her intentions or know of her whereabouts, but she was appointed to care for the Prince's Shitennou and it was something she had always done.

Pain ripped through his head, his nose now bleeding even heavier. The amount of blood should have made him more weary, but his memories spoke to him of far greater injuries that would have cost any other person their life. But not him. Not one of the sworn four. They were not just any other person.

Had they been then perhaps they would be more accepted than revered and mostly feared.

Kunzite's eyes fluttered open with slow precision, feeling as if the bright light of the morning sun would burn his retinas. A dull throbbing still beat in the back of his head yet this was a relief from the searing pain that had nearly driven him mad earlier. He attempted to pick himself up off the floor, but then decided against it as a wave of nausea rushed towards him. A shard of broken glass sat inches from his hand, its sharp edge gleaming in the sunlight as if taunting the calloused skin of his palm to come closer.

_Golden hair slid through his fingers as she moved away from him, goosebumps beginning to dot her flesh again from the combination of the moisture still lingering on her body and the cool night air. Her dress lay useless on the floor, nothing more than a sopping remnant of a journey she should not have been on. Kunzite wanted to move towards her, to keep her in place for just a few more moments if not longer. Would she flee and never return? He mentally shook his head, scolding himself for thinking such a thought when it would have been best had she never appeared to him to begin with. Forbidden was what it was, no matter how tempting the fruit or erogenous the goddess._

_She touched the discarded garment with her toes, giving the material a useless nudge. It would be no good to her and she had no way to explain its loss. He had asked her what she would do next and she didn't know how to answer him. She could spend the night tangled in his sheets or perhaps as nothing more than a victim of his further interrogation tactics. That false sense of security she had been offered and then foolishly taken._

_"Tell me, Princess," Kunzite said, his voice bringing her eyes level with his._

He spared a passing glance to his left. A mistake as the dull pain seared to a blinding white. His eyes closed and he took a deep breath before reopening them to look to his right. A small table, stained a deep mahogany color, had been knocked over and with it several ornamental objects that now lay shattered on the floor.

_"I can't," Venus answered, swallowing the pain in her voice._

_"If you are going to lie, Princess, then you may want to relax your jaw so that it's not so obvious that you are being caught telling one." She might have hissed, or maybe it was a simple exhale. Either way he did not receive the answer he had been looking for._

The sage mumbled words incoherently as she tended to him, a heavy amulet falling around his neck and slapping against the bare skin of his chest. Something cold was pressed to his face, the cool material helping to ease his pain as it would a fever. He wondered whether it was only water on the moist rag but his normally sharp mind refused to stay focused for more than a few sparse seconds at a time.

_Kunzite closed the distance between them and wrapped one arm around her shoulders from behind, his other arm reaching around her waist and taking hold of her hand. He expected her body to become rigid in his arms, but instead she only leaned into him. "You allow me to touch you like this yet you don't trust me to speak?"_

_"Do you always save your questions for when a person is at their most vulnerable?"_

"Come back to me," the woman cooed – or at least he thought those had been her words.

_He chuckled lightly in her ear, his breath tickling the side of her face. "Perhaps my tactics would be more effective if I did so," he joked in response. His hand left hers and moved to her stomach, brushing over the lightly rounded edge of her navel. He was surprised to find a small piece of metal running through the skin there and wondered how he hadn't noticed it before. Her breathing sped up a bit at the gentle contact and he could feel the quickened breaths with her back pressed to his chest. "Then I will wish you a good night," he paused to glance out the window, noticing that they sky had started to become a lighter shade of midnight blue, "or rather a good morning until we have the opportunity to speak again later." His head leaned in towards her, cocked just so to the side so that he could see the profile of her delicate features. Her head turned towards his and their lips were close enough that he could claim them again if he so chose to. Instead he allowed his fingers to circle over her stomach, moving even so slightly higher before falling back down to her navel where he would brush over the pierced skin before starting his ascent again._

_"Yes," she responded, her voice low, yet she made no motion to move away from him. Instead her body only pressed further against his._

"Why did this happen?" he asked, his throat feeling as if he had been in an arid desert.

"You've been with one of them, haven't you." Her words were both question and accusation. "Have I not warned you enough of the consequences of those of the white moon?"

"She didn't attack me."

"You're as foolish as that Prince of yours. One of you must see the truth while -."

Kunzite's eyes, that had begun their slow descent towards closing, opened with a snap as his hand clamped down on her wrist. Stilling her jerked movements, yet he could still feel the tension held throughout her arm like a strung bow.

"I asked a question that you will answer without saying anything defamatory of OUR prince. What caused this and why did you place this on me?" he asked, holding the bronze encased dark stone in front of her face.

Her eyes stared back at him, sparks of anger dancing in their dark depths. "I can feel traces of her energy lingering around you," she said, venom tainting her words. She leaned forward as if further inspecting him. "You would choose the path of the foreign seductress rather than heed my advice?"

_"Goodnight, Princess." His lips brushed against her cheek and he stepped back from her, his arms falling away from soft skin. She spared one last glance to him, her body becoming encased in a fuku of white and gold in the moment just before she transported away, leaving him alone and suddenly unsatisfied._

"No."

She jerked away from him. "Then I cannot help you. It is far too late for any intervention on my part."

Kunzite's eyes drifted closed and his head fell forward. The sage's hands flew out in front of her as she cupped his cheeks, not allowing him to slump forward from where he was seated on the floor. She used the weight of her body to push him back against the wall, jumping slightly when she felt his hands coming to rest against hers. "Madelyne," he said, his voice soft as his eyes once again sought out hers. "This isn't the first time this has happened. It has been so long that maybe you have already forgotten."

"No, I didn't forget," she responded, allowing all of her weight to fall on her folded knees. "This time you seemed to have recovered quicker."

"Through whatever magic of yours." A crooked smile formed on his lips as he spoke those words. "What is this amulet and what is it protecting me from?"

"Magic," she repeated, leaving him unsure if she was answering him or mocking him for his compliment. It was well known that there was no known magic on the Earth, only on the other planets that those of his kind once believed to be uninhabitable.

A sharp rapping on the door stopped their conversation and garnered all of their attention instead. Kunzite extracted himself from the sage's grasp, removing the amulet from around his neck as he strode to the door.

Kunzite threw the lock from the door, allowing the heavy block of wood to open revealing Zoicite on the other side. The younger man's eyes opened wide as he took in the image of Kunzite's blood stained clothes as well as the broken objects that lay in the background. Zoicite opened his mouth to speak but was silenced by a gesture from the room's occupant.

"What is it?" Kunzite asked briskly.

"The delegates from the moon have arrived and Endymion is waiting for you. You were expected thirty minutes ago." Then, as if debating with himself, he finally asked, "what happened to you?"

Kunzite could only imagine how he must have looked at that moment with the dried blood crusted and cracking on his face as well as the dark trail that stained his blue shirt with blotches of maroon. "I will be ready momentarily." Kunzite answered robotically as he moved from the entryway into his private bathroom where he tied his long hair away from his face and used a nearby washcloth to clean the remaining traces of blood from his skin.

When he returned into the main room, he noticed it was now empty. His sage had disappeared as she was oft to do, leaving him with the mess of shattered objects, and his broken memories. From the corner of his eye he noticed the heaped forest green material by the balcony door. His mind urged him to step forward, but his sense of timing and duty pushed harder, and instead he continued on, dressing in his standard uniform and leaving everything else behind in his wake.


	8. Lolita

Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me while I took a hiatus (a year and a half, yikes!). Special thanks to my most wonderful beta Elena who almost literally pulled teeth to get these words on paper. Make sure you check out her amazing story Interlude!

* * *

><p>Endymion stood by the windows, his forehead resting against the cool glass. Sprawling out before him was the inner court, the higher ranking soldiers, council members both past and present, and a sparse collection of Earth's royal family. The ship carrying the delegate of the moon was in the process of touching down on the hastily built landing pad. Never before had Earth had any need for such a contraption, or perch as many had taken to calling it. All previous liaisons had required the Senshi to travel to Earth with discretion so that early discussions could take place before the rest of the kingdom was allowed to know what was happening. Had the discussions failed, life would continue on with no change, all being none the wiser of what almost was and could have been. But when Endymion set eyes on Serenity, he knew that he couldn't allow that to happen.<p>

Kunzite approached his prince, choosing to stand with his back against the windows so that he would not have to watch what was going on outside. The time to go out there was fast approaching and he felt unsure of what would happen when he saw the Venusian. Their meeting had been far from what he would have expected, her departure sudden, and then his….whatever it was that happened to him. His memory was etched in blackness, small flashes of memory seeping through, but then fading back into nothingness. "Despite popular opinion, royals being late are still considered to be rude, not regal."

Endymion sighed, the glass glazing with fog as it met his warm breath. "Surely you are not feeling self-righteous this early in the day. What ever will you do with the rest of the afternoon?"

Images of the blond goddess flashed through the soldier's mind. "Assisting you with nursing your hangover apparently."

A sound between a snort and a laugh was the brief response. "The glass is doing a fine job of that on its own. Perhaps you could have joined us instead of partaking in whatever secret activity it was that kept you up most of the night."

"I never sleep well in the palace."

"Funny, I would think that all of the interactions around here would leave you exhausted. But yes, that's right, Jadeite has always been the one to do all the talking. I guess slipping through the grounds like a ghost is not nearly as exhilarating." He glanced over at the pale haired man next to him, his opposite in nearly every way. "I spoke with Zoicite. He told me that he saw you this morning."

"Zoicite is a gossip."

"Ah," Endymion mocked understanding, "it is gossip when you-."

"When I say it is," Kunzite interrupted him.

"Funny, I thought I was the one who made up the rules. But do accept my apologies if I'm mistaken. The weight of the crown, sometimes it does funny things to my mind. Why just the other day-."

Kunzite pushed away from the wall, pulling the prince away from where he was still resting against the window pane, towards the door. "I was obviously busy defending your honor, what else would keep me from your company."

Endymion walked a few steps, shaking his head and squinting against the bright onslaught of sunlight as they passed through the grandiose doorframe and into the courtyard.

A red runner connected the palace doors to the platform where Sailor Venus was exiting from the spaceship. The breeze ruffled her skirt, giving it the appearance of twirling as the pleats alternated flashes of white and orange. Blond hair hung down her back in shimmering waterfall of fair strands. Her face reminded him so much of his own Serenity and it pained him to think of how many days had passed since he had last seen her, or held her. Beside her stood a soldier with features so much like her own. It was clear that he was strongly of Venusian descent with his delicate features and golden hair.

_**A flare erupted from the sun, timed in this exact moment, when emotions were at their strongest point, all of these people together – fear, curiosity, anger, hatred, love. Humans were often at their weakest while consumed by such thoughts, especially those who harbored so many at once. Two men standing on opposite sides of the courtyard, so few yards separating them, yet light years from each other, both blinked against the glare of the sunlight. Neither felt, nor knew, nor understood, what was beginning to brew and fester from within.**_

"I will be departing this evening," Kunzite murmured to Endymion as they walked down the runner. He knew that the Prince would be grinding his teeth at having to hold his tongue in this crowd of people, which made this all the more better of a time to say the words. Some time away from the palace would help him to clear his head. But looking at the blonde again, noticing the way that her eyes failed to meet his, almost caused him to miss a step.

_**Light blue eyes remained downcast, oblivious to the shift in the light around her. A child of other worlds, protected by the moon, could not be touched by the energy radiating from the flare. The unusual heat of the midday went unnoticed by one who was from a place where temperatures had saturated her planet to temperatures that forced them to take refuge in the sky.**_

_**Sharp green eyes saw not a girl humbled by her passions, but a warrior in disguise as a princess. A warrior who feigned innocence and shyness to meet whatever ends may be.**_

Introductions were made in the public setting to give the appearance of first time meetings. Endymion introduced himself to the young soldier at Venus's side. Kunzite couldn't help but to notice how close the man stood to the Senshi. Was he her protector? Her lover? Anger filled Kunzite's mind, his focus shifting again from where it belonged. When it was his turn to face the soldier, he performed the action he had seen Venus do last night, his arm crossing over his chest as he bent at the waist. The instinct to do this overwhelmed him, though he didn't know why. He barely remembered her completing the movement in the shadows of his room, faintly backlit by the waning moon. Yet it was the right thing to do as the blond man repeated this back to him.

As their eyes met again, Kunzite noticed what appeared to be a flash of gold slip over the other soldier's eyes. Just as quickly, the man blinked, and Kunzite wondered if he had imagined it.

No words were spoken between them as he then moved to stand in front of Sailor Venus herself.

_**Plump pink lips curled inwards, trying to find the right words to say to the tall soldier before her. Throughout the whole transport, she dreaded this moment when she would have to look into his eyes and see that there was nothing there. No teasing glances or desire filled stares.**_

"Thank you both for coming," Endymion announced, his voice loud enough for those around him to hear. "Please, join me inside the palace and we can begin our talks."

It was all for show, as was everything on this day.

_**The young prince needed to move everyone inside. The lingering silence between the two lead soldiers could only cause the onlookers to think that they failed to have the Shitennou's approval.**_

As Kunzite turned and Minako stepped forward, he felt the lightest brush of their pinkies touching. Neither acknowledged the moment, rather they followed after Endymion and Adonis as they made their way down the red runner and into the palace.

_**A brief moment, a touch of intimacy, neither planned nor escapable.**_

"Where have you hidden your princess today?" Kunzite asked. Other questions pulled at his mind, but this was the safest that he could ask. After all, Endymion would be content to know that he was making efforts to be polite to Venus, even if he was teasing her over Serenity's whereabouts.

_**He need only to make it through this moment.**_

Her eyes turned to look to him as if she had secrets of her own that morning. "I figured that as long as I'm here to keep a proper eye on your prince, my princess will not be so easily distracted."

_**Her heart beat heavily in her chest.**_

"He can't be blamed alone for his actions."

_**Ten more steps.**_

"My princess would never have known these actions if not for him."

_**Nor would I, she found herself thinking.**_

"You are saying that he has corrupted her?"

_**The conversation felt as if it was turning in on him.**_

"That is what men do to rational women."

_**And when all ration is gone….**_


	9. Did Ya Think

Members of the court spewed lines of elegant, unbiased stances.

Elders of the advisors spoke as if wise sages, change is not always for the best.

New members of the advisors used voices devoid of emotion, full of large words to demonstrate intelligence - change can be for the better.

The male Venusian answered with brave tones and soothing promises.

She was silent.

The princess of Venus, destined heir of Magellan, promised protector of the Moon, said nothing. Sharp blue eyes the color of the afternoon sky looked intently at the various speakers of the room. Her blond locks moved with each well timed nod of her head, yet she would not once look at the pair of green eyes that had been affixed on her, not once acknowledge him since they had entered this great room and all had taken pre-assigned seats at the long oak table with the carved pattern of the Earth decorating the center.

Kunzite no longer knew which feeling was at the forefront of his mind. She lied. She misled him. She could not be trusted. From the night on the cliff where she had spoken to him, he had been so wrong to believe that he could control her, manipulate her into telling him all of her secrets. Her heart shaped face belied the soldier that lay underneath. She was cold and calculating. Her modesty was merely a decoy for finding herself on the inside. Madelyne, that foolish sage, had tried to warn him. But did that make her any more right? After all, did she not perform magic of her own against him?

Perhaps what bothered him the most was how easily he had fallen into the hands of the two women he once thought to be his to do as he willed with. How fast the mighty has fallen, he thought to himself, trying to bring his thoughts back in order. He stood behind Endymion, his back to the wall, arms crossed at his chest, fingers dangling lovingly over the hilt of his sword.

What the fair haired, war worn soldier failed to realize was that there was something else pulling at him, something darker than he had ever known he could feel.

Hours passed, all the voices blending together into a cacophony of words sharing opinions and discord. When finally lunch was called, all delegates, court members, and advisors stood, stretching their cramped, disused legs. Some started to filter out the door, others gathered around those of Venus to talk with them more personally, curious of the non-terrestrials. Kunzite slipped out of the room, nodding to the other Shittenou in the room, a silent affirmative that watch of the prince had been transferred.

Venus stood from her chair, greeting those most closest to her, speaking conversationally with those who understood that she was not just a female who was there to smile, but the one who had been relegated with the responsibility of this venture. Small minds of the planet, she told herself, instead opting to let Adonis speak in her place rather than correcting them. Perhaps time was needed for these men to understand that part of joining the other planets was accepting that male leadership was the exception, not the rule. Allowing herself only the sparsest of seconds, she glanced to where Endymion had been seated, to where the silver haired soldier had been standing. Then, quick as the blink of an eye, she was back to the conversations around her, taking small steps outside of their circle until she was no longer noticed, and able to step away.

The air of the hallway, with its cathedral ceiling and open windows, felt cool and carried the air of the woodlands inside, replacing the stifling feeling caused by the meeting room that had been filled with too many human bodies. Between the emotions of the packed room and the efforts of too many transports to this planet, she felt drained. She was turning into her Princess, constantly running away from the Moon to this blue and green planet. Worse, while her travels had started with curiosity of the planet, they had now become distracted by a tall soldier with green eyes, squared shoulders, and a presence that demanded her attention and focus. It was her own curiosity that made her chase after him, wanting to know who he was. But it was his features, his strength, that trapped her. There was no denying his beauty. This was only more so confirmed when she had seen all of him, skin afire in the glints of the moon light peaking through tall branches as small rivulets of rain and sweat swelled on his body.

"Was this all as you wanted?" Kunzite asked her, his voice low as he fell into step beside her.

Venus blushed, hating herself for being caught off guard. Hating that she felt warmed by his sudden presence. "I don't understand," she responded, her voice full of caution as she moved a stray hair away from her face. "I hadn't expected results from today's meeting, but I supposed that you wouldn't have either-."

"You are not a simple girl, Princess Venus. Please, for both of our sakes, let's not pretend otherwise."

She felt anger and embarrassment coursing through her. He had used her full title on purpose, and then, in the same breath, insulted her. "Do you think I am here as a spy? That I could not see the going ons of this planet from the safety of the moon?"

"What are you afraid of?"

"I don't understand." She paused, realizing that she had allowed him to alter the path she had been walking on and was now completely alone in what appeared to be a lesser used section of the palace. The lights were dimmed in these halls, the sun seemed to have gone into hiding from this man as well. "We shouldn't be here." She moved to step away from him, but was restrained when he grabbed her arm. Time stopped as his strong fingers wrapped around her bicep. Fight or flight. Would she be able to pull free? Would she find herself afraid of him if she discovered that he was stronger than she?

"Every word that comes out of your mouth is a lie, protecting a previous lie. Since I would believe that the guard of the Moon princess must be of some character, I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt that you are afraid of some truth rather than just a liar." Her eyes met his, but she remained silent and unmoving, not fighting from his grasp. "Who are you?"

"I am Sailor Venus, princess of Venus. I -."

"That's not what I'm asking. We both know this. Why do you affect me the way that you do?"

"You're asking questions that I can't answer."

"Won't answer."

"I'm sorry that I was here in the courtyard last night. I shouldn't have been on this planet."

"We've been over that much. Yet you continue to return, and always where I am, maybe so that I won't have to look too hard for you. Is that what you wanted? To seduce me? I know that you want something."

"I never try to appear before you."

"You are always in front of me."

"It's not of my choosing." A wry smile appeared on his lips, the skin above his right eyebrow rising. She pulled her arm, trying to release herself from his grip, finding that his fingers held firm like a vice. "Now is not the time. Please don't ask me these questions."

"Give me my answers. What have you done to me?"

"It's not me," she responded hesitantly, her eyes looking around them, verifying that they were still alone, almost hoping that someone would come by and stop her from having to answer his questions. "Kunzite," she said his name, ending her sentence there as she looked up at him with eyes flashing with a multitude of emotions.

For one brief moment he wanted to release her, to let her go back to the room where lunch would surely be waiting for them by now. But then he stopped. This was familiar to him. She had given him such similar looks when he had seen her at the cliffs, and then again last night as she stood in the pouring rain in a gold silk dress saturated with rain water. Instead of releasing her, his other hand reached out to grab her other arm, holding her in place, bringing their bodies closer together. "Are you a soldier? A destined warrior, Minako?"

"I am what I am. Neither lady, nor soldier. I will never know the satisfaction of either."

"You are whatever you choose to be. Pray that the soldier you are now never has to see true war for I think it would destroy you." His left hand released her arm and touched her cheek, her chin fitting against his palm. "You and I both are but figureheads in this world."

"We are both light," she whispered, pulling herself from his now lax hold. Her eyes studied his face, memorizing every detail, committing the curves and shadows to memory. "Be careful of the dark."

As she walked away, Kunzite knew that she would not be returning. He had so strongly believed that she had fooled him, pretending to be enamoured, but maybe she was not. Irony was the emotion that he felt right now - now that she was gone and out of his reach, he wanted her to reach out to him.

* * *

><p>Madelyn stood in front of the glass paned balcony doors in Kunzite's bedroom. Disarray surrounded her, but she didn't care. Against the glass, in the off angle of the sun, she could make out the smudges left by a body. Almost a perfect outline - what would have been someone's back, tapering down to a trim waist. In her hand rested an amulet centered with a deep colored Beryl stone. Underneath the shiny surface, the stone was murky, gray colors trapped inside in smoky waves. She turned over the amulet, pulling her eyes from where they had been trapped, to look at the contours of the back surface and it's intricate carvings. At the bottom, the metal came to a sharp point, dried red blood on the surface. She lifted it up, bringing it to eye level. The blood undried, returning to a deep red coloring, welling up into a bubble of fluid. Her lips blew cool air over the droplet, watching as it was absorbed into the amulet. When she turned it back over, she smiled noting the changed color of the stone.<p> 


	10. When It All Falls Apart

Kunzite sat perched upon the high border wall of the Venusian palace, his left knee drawn to his chest. Thousands of meters below him sand filled winds blew at speeds that would strip flesh from a body within minutes of exposure – if the person didn't succumb to the heat first. His back rested against a small turret, his right leg dangled over the edge with nothing but gravity between him and the mighty fall.

"You know that you can't actually fall off that wall," Adonis laughed as he pulled himself up onto the same ledge.

"Did I look like I was close to falling?" Kunzite asked, his fingers wrapped around the red material of the sash that hung off his trim waist.

_Kunzite watched as the Venusian queen entered the throne room. Her head was down as she whispered to the other blonde woman walking with her, both smiling with shared secrets. The queen spared a glance towards where he stood, and without losing pace or breaking her conversation, winked at him before turning back to the other woman. He resisted the urge to shake his head despite knowing that she would find humor rather than insult from his action. When the queen reached her throne, she sat down and shooed away the other woman, patting her hand at the king's throne next to her for Kunzite to sit. He shook his head indicating that he was fine standing as he did not want to risk any political faux pas such as sitting in a chair belonging to a kingdom he did not run. "I keep forgetting how much you have changed," she said, almost to herself._

The heat of the Venusian planet required the inhabitants to wear shades of whites and tans, leaving the golds and yellows for the royal family. By night, darker colors were embraced to offset the cooling temperature that would otherwise be stifling in the daytime sun. Kunzite himself had taken to wearing a thin white cotton uniform that allowed his skin to breathe in the stifling heat. After his sparring match with Adonis, rather more of a song and dance show for the King and Queen, Kunzite had shed his shirt, leaving himself only in a pair of pants and with the red sash around his waist. Adonis had explained that the sash was something that dated back to their earliest records, and that only soldiers of great esteem were permitted to wear this symbol of respect to show their status. It rather made Kunzite apprehensive wearing such a mark in public. On Earth, he had been feared because of his status, yet on Venus, he was revered and often the center of attention for many Venusians.

"There is magic that surrounds the floating castle. If anyone were to fall off the wall, they would fall to the tip of the castle grounds, and then be pulled back up. Not many people know this, but then I guess not many Venusians would have need of such a jump."

Kunzite offered a wry smile. "So are you saying that I should jump? I'd like to believe that I've been better company than that."

Adonis laughed, a bit awkwardly. "The Queen would never forgive me if you jumped because I said it was safe."

_"I miss the days of walking the earth with your blue skies. The way the moon shone so brilliantly down on you. That was a long time ago when I was still a warrior and not a queen." Her eyes looked out the windows to her left, gold skies filled her view. "There was a time when we walked together, but I guess you wouldn't remember those days."_

And it was true that the Queen had immediately taken a liking to Kunzite. Venus had been the first planet to embrace the Earth and had invited the King and Queen to send their ambassador, since the Earth had been so kind to their own daughter. It had been said that Kunzite was sent as he was the best for negotiations and the best hope for Earth in joining the alliance. Kunzite knew otherwise.

_"You will go," Endymion said, sounding part regal and part petulant._

_"Jadeite would fare far better than I," Kunzite responded, his tone neutral and devoid of emotion. He stood overlooking the palace grounds from the turret he and Endymion were meeting in. The bright sun beating down on the castle did little to warm the room made of stone. "He may not always have the most diplomatic touch, but he is smooth tongued enough to hold the ear of any monarch."_

"Endymion has summoned me to return home tomorrow," Kunzite said as if only in passing.

"Have you told my queen this yet?"

Kunzite looked back over the wall, breaking eye contact with the other man. "We spoke earlier about travels from Venus to Earth. It seems she is much more aware of happenings than I ever was."

_"You look so different in this life, so much of you has changed. But your eyes, they are still the same."_

_"Your majesty," Kunzite said, his step faltering a bit as he moved to step forward. "Did we once know each other? I can't imagine I would have forgotten."_

_"Has your prince told you nothing?" The queen shook her blonde head, not waiting for or expecting a response, waves of gold moving around her. "When the earth departed the alliance, they left magic and everything else behind. Apparently their own history as well. You are Kunzite, and Kunzite is you. We have known each other a long time."_

Adonis chuckled in response. It was a well-known fact around the Venusian court that the Queen had declared her adoration of Kunzite from day one and doted on him like a lover ever since. He had been gifted with clothing, his own apartments, and even a decorative sword that was part of the royal family's collection that dated far back to the time of the queen's coronation. Kunzite attempted to appear humbled by her attention, which only seemed to bring him more. It wasn't until that morning when he had spoken with the queen on his own that he finally understood what brought upon her constant favor. It was not who he is, but who he was and who he would continue to become.

"But you will be returning to your home and to the glory of battle, unlike here where we have all become ornaments in the queen's guard. It is all parades and shows, people praising you as you attempt to walk discretely down the street."

"At least you are acknowledged and not feared. Embrace what you are given. Living in secrecy and shadows is not nearly as glorious as you often pretend it to be."

_"And leave you here to do what instead?" Endymion asked. "You are gone for days at a time, and even when you are here, you're not."_

_"Someone has to protect your kingdom, even if you do not see the dangers."_

_"Secrets and shadows, Kunzite, that is what you have become."_

"You accuse me of vanity?" Adonis asked, his eyebrows rising in surprise as his back straightened.

"Are you not a proper child of Venus?" Kunzite muttered under his breath.

"I am a soldier like you," Adonis snapped, now leaning forward, both hands resting against the orange tinted stone wall below him.

"Then perhaps you should return to Earth in my place."

"You are one of the legendary Shitennou, you mock me with such a statement."

_"The Shitennou are legendary immortals," the queen continued, leaning forward in her seat as if sharing a secret that only the two of them could hear. "You are Kunzite, born again into this world. Everything that you are is him. It is the light within us both that continues to draw us together. Perhaps you've noticed that same light within my daughter as well."_

Kunzite rose to his feet in a fluid movement, his eyes looking over the wall to watch the sand storms below him, the harsh winds mimicking the remembered fragments of conversation that echoed in his mind. Endymion's banishment of him to Venus, the beautiful queen with her legends and words. For a moment he pondered if Adonis was telling the truth that magic would protect him if he stepped over the edge and silenced the voices. Would it be but a moment of free fall and then the sensation of falling into a safety net? Or would the magic fail his frail human body allowing him to fall without mercy, the heat and winds stealing his last breathe before he could hit the ground? "We are legends because people say it is to be so. I am no more man than you."

"Yet I am not you, nor will I ever be enough to be one of you."

_Kunzite's eyes remained fixed on the lush greens spreading out from the tower window than meet the eyes of his prince. "That is only true if you choose to believe the rumors._

_"I have heard other rumors, Kunzite. I know where you have been and what you are doing. Correct me if I'm wrong, but courting the Venusian princess can hardly count as protecting the kingdom from dangers."_

_Green eyes met blue eyes._

"Dream less, Adonis. If you continue to reach for things beyond your grasp, you may find yourself on your face more than your feet."

Adonis reached out and grabbed the other man's arm, halting him from moving any further. They stood face to face, both men wearing the same white cotton pants with flowing red sash. One taller with hair the color of the moon, the other several inches shorter with strands colored by the sun.

Adonis struggled with the thoughts in his head and the words that wanted to come to his mouth. For so long he had wanted to be this man in front of him, someone that was always so untouchable, outside of his circle. But here he was now, so close, his mind telling him that the legendary soldier before him was nothing more than a man just as he was, yet something inside him persisted, telling him that he was still so far below him. Before he could allow his chaotic mind to continue, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Kunzite's. Feelings of attraction and admiration overwhelmed him, pushing him to continue the kiss not wanting to let go, not wanting the moment to end.

Kunzite paused, his body frozen by the unexpected kiss. He felt no attraction for the other man, for his mind was already too distracted to allow any other attractions to pass through. The kiss felt hard and needful, as if it had been held back for too long. He could remember the same look in Venus's eyes when he had first spoken to her on the cliffs. An attraction that would not be denied, and by a Venusian, it could not be. Before Kunzite could respond, he felt a sharp pain race through him, piercing his spine. His body tensed and he suddenly felt as if he could not breathe. He pushed Adonis away from him and gasped for air, his vision blurring for an instant, bringing him to his knees. The sensation was now familiar, yet amplified from when he had felt it on Earth so many times before. His heart still pounded and he felt as if he couldn't speak, still winded by his reaction. Rather than excuse himself, he jumped from the wall in silence, staggering his first few steps, and crossed the yard back towards the palace taking several large paces. Behind him, Adonis stood with his back rigid, mouth cut into a firm straight line, his eyes dancing with unshed tears, filled with anger and humilation at the rejection.

_"When my wayward prince who is embroiled in his own illicit love affair feels that my rumored actions are condemnable, then perhaps there is something to be considered."_

_"I love the princess," Endymion growled as his eyes narrowed. "Everything that I do is for this alliance and my people."_

_"Of course it is," Kunzite responded._

When he found the golden senshi, she was in the private garden that spanned the east side of the palace turret, body clad in a gown of pale pink. Green grass was spread across the surface, large trees scattered across the grounds creating pockets of shade and relief from the heat of the midday sun. Flowers bloomed in bushes along the walls and walkways, primarily boasting shades of yellows and golds with only one rebellious bush of white roses blooming around the marble fountain. The venusian princess had her hands wrapped around the delicate branch of the cherry blossom tree, a small ribbon being added to the multitude of other ribbons of various shades decorating all of the branches within the range of her short stature.

"You shouldn't be here," she said, her voice soft as if the words hadn't been meant for him to hear.

"I needed to see you. You have been avoiding me for months since I last saw you on Earth. Why is it that at one time I could not escape you, and now you are making every effort to escape me?"

Venus sighed, her shoulders slumping, choosing to ignore his question. "It doesn't matter how high in esteem my mother holds you, she would not be happy to find you in here."

"If I married you today, your mother could not be made happier. I think we both know this."

She turned to face him, hands clasped in front of her. "Do you come bearing a proposal? Maybe a gift? A need to build a shrine for worship? Isn't that what all men of your planet want in the end?"

"You've left me to believe that you've been avoiding me."

"My mother is fickle in her own affairs, she does not put nearly enough thought into who I should marry for very long."

"Did you know of your mother's past affairs? Did you know who I was from the first day we met?"

_Endymion brought his fist down on the oak desk before him, ignoring the pain that shot up his arm. "What did she do to you, Kunzite? When did you become this man?"_

_"Venus and my love affair is nothing more than gossip fodder for the court. Someone sees us standing together and maybe we appear too close, or hands brush as we both reach forward for the same thing. It is the thing of fantasy that draws people in and makes them repeat what they believe they either witnessed or heard."_

_"She was here on Earth, on the palace grounds. You were seen standing with her in the rain. Do you deny that tryst?"_

Kunzite closed the distance between them until he was close enough to reach for her hand, fingers closing around her smaller, more delicate ones. He had expected her to resist him, fight against his hold, but instead she allowed herself to be pulled, her body controlled, as he brought her to face him, her skirt swirling around her like loose cherry blossoms for an instant before fading away to reveal a golden fuku. Their faces were close enough that he could kiss her if he chose to, and the look in her eyes told him that she would not refuse him.

From behind him he could hear a faint echo coming from inside Minako's room. He fought against his instincts to look, to allow himself to be distracted, or worse, to allow Minako the moment to flee.

"You have known about me all this time haven't you?" he growled at her, jaw clenched so tightly that he almost wondered how the words had made it out. "You and your mother both knew all this time what I was - who I was." The tone of his words more accusation than question or statement.

"I don't understand," Venus stuttered out in response.

"Your mother said the same thing that you once said to me, that we were both of the light and drawn together. Have you always known what I was?"

"Not always. I only found out -."

"Lies," he said, cutting her off. "Has it all been a game to you? You dangling this information in front of me, leaving breadcrumbs as if I were a small bird to chase after you, picking up the pieces. And what was I going to find at the end of the trail? You laughing at my ignorance?" He dropped her hand and took a step back from her. "To exist lifetime after lifetime, knowing that I have been touched by death and constantly reborn into this new person, this new body based on an oath so many lifetimes ago that no one can even begin to count them. Knowing that I am not me and that there is no me, only an entity that lives and breathes through me, it is wrong."

"Kunzite-."

"Do you understand what it feels like to know that your life is not your own? I suppose not. You of the moon kingdom have your own rules and infinite lives that you would never understand."

_"You want me to go to Venus to punish me for her slipping away to our planet uninvited? Or do you think that you are somehow helping me by sending me to her?"_

_"You're the one I trust the most for this."_

_"Yet I'm the one you seem to trust the least."_

_Endymion paused, exhaling a long breath, his eyes shifting away for a moment "Your sage came to me last night. She said that it could only be you."_

Minako stood in her garden, watching the now empty path the Earthen soldier departed down.

"I almost died," she exhaled to herself, releasing the breath she had not allowed herself to exhale while he spoke. She felt chilled despite the heat of the sun radiating down on her skin. His touch still burned against her palm and she could feel where his fingers had been wrapped around her own. The way their hands fit so well into each other with his longer fingers encompassing hers'. "I understand the lies that we all live with," she whispered. "I know what it is to be reincarnate and never yourself."

Golden sandal clad feet crossed over the yards of grass, blades bending under her light weight. The conversation hung heavy in her mind, words playing over and over again. His words were cruel and wrong, telling her that she did not understand, accusing her of keeping secrets that she had only learned herself when she had heard scraps of gossip of the conversation between her mother and Kunzite. The only truth he had uttered were his words about her mother marrying her off to him. Arranged marriages were not natural to the Venusian culture – coupling had always been a choice of love – yet her mother was so fickle in her own passing fancies that she would have seen her daughter betrothed many times over. It was only a short time ago that Adonis had been her mother's most recent favorite, to which Adonis would tease her relentlessly. Back then Minako had thought that maybe he was her one true love – but then the Earth happened and everything changed. She was no longer just a princess or a guardian to a moon princess who lived a life of boundaries and ceremonies. She was awakened by her new experiences and she wanted to live and experience it all, yet at the end of the day, she was still a girl who had to follow her heart.

She arrived at the door to Adonis's room and pushed it open without knocking. Knocking was pretense they used when it mixed company, but never when they were alone. Boundaries were non-existent to them; it was something they had promised to each other so long ago. She stepped into the empty living room that echoed with silence and the gentle clacking of her heels against marble floors. In the corner, a red swash of material stood out against the white chair it had been laid upon. Minako crossed over and picked up the silky cloth, wrapping it around her shoulders like a scarf as she twirled around, the ends of the material swirling around her. When she came to a stop, she stood staring at herself in the large wall mirror. Thin fingers brushed back tendrils of blond hair that tumbled haphazardly around her. With a smile, she took the swath of cloth and tied a large red bow into her hair, clearing the front pieces back so that only her bangs hung over her forehead. When Adonis saw her with his sash, she would dangle it in front of him, making him ask her nicely for it back, all the while knowing that it would take him days of frustration before he would utter the word please and she would return it to him.


	11. Revenge is Sweeter

Minako could feel the changes all around her. The Earth, despite the blue skies and warm sun, had become cold and dark. Men had begun to give up basic civilities to return to barbaric roots of isolation and self-defense. She had even felt herself change from her encounters with the silver haired Shitennou, becoming closer to him while a distance formed between herself and Adonis, who now no longer wanted anything more than to become that same Shitennou.

She wanted to go back in time to when she was the figurehead protector of the heir to the moon. When she didn't understand what it meant to have self-doubt. When she could still look at the world with curiosity. When the world was still full of beauty and not edged with darkness.

Adonis stood in the crowd with the other soldiers of Venus, refusing to stand with her or even allowing her the chance to speak and let him know that she wanted him at her side that day. He no longer spoke with her and almost seemed angry with her though she could not understand what she could have done that may have caused it.

Change was upon them. That was the highlight of her speech to these men, the mixed soldiers of Earth and Venus who stood side by side before her. It was not her job to put on airs at war rallies. She was a leader who stood in the front lines - although now she wanted nothing more than to exist behind the raised platform where she would not be watched so intently by the eyes of men who saw only the goddess of legend and worship.

Endymion moved to the front of the platform, his black armor offering a glimmer from the sun's rays that managed to peek through the clouds. He had the opportunity to speak so few words before Zoicite appeared behind him, whispering in his ear. She couldn't be sure of the exact words spoken, but she could see the change that took place in Endymion's features.

War was upon them. Those were Kunzite's words as Endymion excused himself from the platform and departed with Zoicite at his back, Jadeite at the bottom of the stairs waiting. None of that mattered anymore though. Kunzite had captivated the men with his words. He accented the right words at the right moment, confidence radiating into the crowd, motivating them, allowing them to believe that victory was a choice. After all, these were the men that chose to stand here this morning, and no man would choose to send himself to become the sacrificial lamb, but rather to lead the slaughter of defeat upon their enemy.

The Senshi found herself almost believing his words. Whether well-rehearsed or greatly improvised, he had done what needed to be done. When the speeches had finished, Kunzite departed the platform and public eye, and Minako followed without a second thought. She didn't know what to say to him, or what words were left to be said. Each encounter between them had changed them.

From that first moment when she had finally met the elusive Shitennou of legend. _'It must be hard having such a bundle of curiosity for a Princess,' _he had said to her.

When they had encountered each other alone that night on the mountain. _"When something happens once it's called happenstance, twice is coincidence, and three times is enemy action." His eyes watched as her hand tightened over the hilt of his sword. "This is the third time that we're seeing each other like this."_

That night in the outskirts of the palace grounds, just before the rain had begun to fall on them.  
><em>"They all inevitably fall in love with the Martian," <em>she had said to him, and he had responded, _"not all."_

Their first "official" meeting on this blue planet. _As Kunzite turned and Minako stepped forward, he felt the lightest brush of their pinkies touching._

She tried to push away the thoughts of their last encounter on Venus. The man shaped by the gods themselves should not have been on her planet, and she should not have revealed his secrets - secrets that even she should not have known. She should have stayed away from him, she should not be following him, allowing her feet to pull her in his direction, but it was too late to stop what had been put in motion. He stopped short in front of her and she stopped as well, nearly colliding into his muscular back. She could hear the sound of him taking a deep breath, and then the sudden sensation of his hand as he linked their fingers and pulled her further away from where the remaining crowds lingered, through rows of trees and small shrubbery. When he brought them to a sudden halt, it was to face her, his hand not yet releasing hers. Words seemed lost in that moment; unnecessary to what was already being communicated through their body language.

Without a further thought, Kunzite pulled her to him, kissing her with a painful intensity. She forgot herself in the contact, allowing their bodies to be pushed together. His free hand made its way to her face, cupping her cheek and trapping stray hairs within his long tapered fingers. She heard a sound escape his lips - a cross between a groan and a growl - and in the next breath, she found herself trapped between his body and the tree that had previously been several steps behind her. Jagged edges of bark bit into her skin, threatening to break the surface. His hand had moved away from her face and now was pressed between her lower back and the old oak, his hips pushing into hers as if he needed to take her now.

After what seemed like minutes but was surely only seconds, they broke apart, faces still close together, sharing the same breath. "I need to have you, Minako" he said, his eyes locked on hers, his other hand now resting on her outer thigh, just below the hemline of her short senshi skirt, making her feel like a trapped small prey.

"Is this why you brought me here?" she asked, her voice bitter, hiding the want and pain that tried to seep into her words. "Am I nothing more than some maid you can have your way with? Or perhaps on this planet the word that I should be using is whore."

"Is it any different than you always appearing to me? Seducing me?" his voice was gruff. "If this was not what you wanted, then you would not be here."

She pushed against his chest, separating their bodies in the stretch of time required for an exhale. Her hair was still tangled in his fingers and she could feel a few of the strands being pulled at the roots. His eyes narrowed into green slats and she smacked him, her hand connecting with his jaw in a sharp, jarring motion. She wanted words to come to her the same way that they always seemed to with him, yet they failed her. In the end, she dematerialized in a haze of golden dust, wanting to escape this barbaric planet without giving him the chance to see the tears of anger and humiliation welling up in her eyes.

* * *

><p>Madelyne had watched Adonis throughout the speeches. She watched Kunzite and the blonde Senshi as well. It mattered not that she had known Kunzite for more years than she would dare count out loud, he didn't see her. He didn't even recognize her if he did. Yet she hardly expected that he would after so much had changed. A dark cloak rested over her shoulders, shielding her long purple gown from sight. Her red hair was longer now, wilder in its curly nature.<p>

She could see the remaining signs of struggle within Adonis, she knew that his fight was almost over. Since the day he first stepped onto this planet, she knew that he would be her's to command. Too willful and always wanting - it made him weak when the sun's flare reached the blue planet, infecting his thoughts as he stood there on the lush red carpet , waiting for the price of Earth and his guard to greet him. Adonis knew nothing of what he wanted anyway. He fantasized about his princess, spent long nights dreaming about her in his bed, with his hands being the only relief he would find. How selfish the Venusian soldier was became clear to him when he was forced to open his eyes and she how she wanted none other than the Prince's guard. How dare this Shitennou have his princess that by all rights was his to marry? That same man who would never accept Adonis as his equal.

Yes, Metallia's magic worked quickly on this young Venusian soldier. Even now, she could see the anger that welled inside of him, pushing him to the brink of his humanity and into her willing arms. The sun flared throughout the speeches, but only those of Metallia's children could feel the heat and the burning light that assaulted the planet. Now, as she watched Adonis stumble as though partially blind, as he in turn watched his princess get kissed by the barbarian, it was all too perfect.

So she followed after him, the shadows following, erasing their footsteps. Adonis fell to the ground, landing on his knees. His skin paled and a sheen of sweat appeared on his brow. Shaking hands went to his face, the heels rubbing his eyes as if he could stop himself from seeing everything around him, but there was no escape, not once he had become infected by Metallia's touch.

Madelyne knelt behind him, darkness encompassing them. "Do you really want it to stop?" she asked him, her lips nearly brushing his ear with their proximity. Imagination, reality, it didn't matter in which world she existed to him in that moment. His mind and body were broken. Thoughts that were no longer his, visions that existed only in imagination, had made him vulnerable.

His body shuddered, racked with pain from the blinding explosions of pain that took place in his mind causing spots to fill his vision.

"Promise me," she hissed.

The nod of his head was subtle and barely more than the shaking of his body, but it was an agreement, and the only acceptance that she needed. She stood up and walked around him, the shadows further swallowing them. From within her dark cloak, a pale hand emerged, a beryl stone amulet wrapped within long fingers. Madelyne pressed it into his palm, the murky cloudiness of the stone seeping from the amulet and into the Venusian soldier at her feet. She knelt down in front of him once more, her other hand cupping his chin as she brought his eyes to meet her's. "You will be their Kunzite."


	12. Secret

Endymion had told Kunzite to stay away from the battle. He insisted on sending Jadeite and Zoicite alone, leaving Kunzite and Nephrite to defend the kingdom. Nephrite remained on the outskirts of the palace proper, quelling small flares of rebellion as best as he was able, leaving Kunzite to remain with the Prince. It was not in Kunzite's nature to disobey an order, but then again, is that who he really was anyway?

The troops had been sent to march forward towards the West, where the sun would be setting within hours. Jadeite and Zoicite had planned to move somewhat to the South, losing a couple hours of day and gaining a few miles so that the troops would have time to rest before the sun rose and they had to continue on. The borders of the kingdom had become dangerous whether through fact or fiction. Stories travelled through towns of creatures who emerged from shadows at night, leaving bodies behind in their hunger. Others said that it was rebel soldiers protesting the alliance with the moon. A few new rumors had started with people saying that it was the Prince's own men who killed the townspeople – innocents who simply wanted to know that their Prince was safe and not a hostage of the moon.

Kunzite knew that Endymion would be away at the Moon kingdom for at least the whole night if not into the early hours of dawn. He was there to further plead for assistance for his planet from the alliance thathad already determined they had done enough to help. Surely while he was there he would not be able to help himself from finding some comfort and solace in the arms of the moon princess.

As he rode out towards the battle, he knew that all would be lost by the time he found himself there. Things had been changing in him, he could feel differences in the space all around him. Perhaps it was the latent magic that the Senshi had spoken to him about. Maybe even it was her magic that clung to him though he tried to free himself of it. Just the thought of her name was enough to make his jaw clench with tension. The image of her beautiful face was enough to erase all ration from his mind. She played with him, sometimes playing the loving woman, and other times pretending to be the cold hearted soldier he know that she could not really be. In the darkest recesses of his mind, he wanted to hurt her, to break her for what she had done, for the doubt she had planted in his mind.

Sitting astride his horse, back straight, reins gripped in both hands over the saddle's pommel. A cool wind stirred the air around him, his midnight blue cape shifting against the current. In the horizon, the sun was in the final stages of setting, only smudges of pinks and oranges visible under the weight of the nearly blackened sky. Although the colors were most likely cast from the smoke radiating off of the burning town that tinted the sky The stars were invisible; the moon was cloaked under a hazy vale. It was clear that there were going to be many casualties that night. No army of men could fight these creatures born of nightmares. Worse, he knew that it was only a matter of time before his fellow Shitennou fell as well. They would never leave their men behind, rather staying, valiantly fighting until they too were overcome by the enemy.

The air grew cooler around Kunzite, but he remained still at his vigil, wondering if he would know the precise moment of the loss of his brothers or if it would not be until their bodies were recovered that he would know for sure. His ears rang with the light lilt of a woman's laughter. It sounded as if it were all around him, not coming from one direction or another, just all encompassing. It was not until he felt the arrival of a new presence that he gave himself the gratification of sanity knowing that it was not only in his head.

"What a brilliant battle they all fight," a woman said, standing next to Kunzite's horse. She reached out to stroke the stallion, her hand retracting as the horse jerked its head, threatening to bite her. Kunzite tightened his hold on the reins of the horse, keeping the animal from rearing up.

Kunzite looked down at the woman, almost not recognizing the redhead now at his side. Her hair was wilder, the curls floating around her small body that was concealed behind a dark, forest green cloak. "You finally emerge from whichever shadow it was that swallowed you," Kunzite said, his voice dry and devoid of emotion. "I've had many questions for you, yet it seems that you chose to go into hiding as soon as I returned from my little visit to Venus. Of which I have been told I should thank you for."

Madelyne pushed some curly strands from her face as she looked up at the tall soldier. "Your Princess of Venus seems to have answered more of your questions than I would have."

"You knew all along what I was. What we are"

"You failed to realize all along what I was."

"You were my sage."

"I was your servant," she spat. "You tried to use me, to use my secrets to control me. That is, until I was able to learn all of your secrets. What it is that makes you...you."

Kunzite's eyes narrowed. He dismounted from the horse, moving to stand within inches of her. "What did you do, witch?"

She laughed, her voice deep and rasping as her green eyes shone with secrets. "Did I not warn you against the Venusian? Did I not tell you that she would be your downfall? I saw the future, soldier, I saw our future. She made you weak, distracted you so that you could not see what was happening around you. All you could think of was her and that you must have her, but I prophesized that you could not have her."

"I had her."

"You had me."

Kunzite paused, memories flashing past his eyes quicker than he could process. The blonde haired goddess had appeared to him in his room that night, only moments after he had seen her standing out in the rain, her dress soaked, wet hair clinging to her body. Everything had been there in front of him, but he didn't see it. It wasn't the same girl that he had seen in the courtyard that had come to his room. The Senshi of Venus had always been quiet in his presence, never offering up more than she wanted to, never making it easy for him to tell the difference between her truths and lies. But in his room, he had been able to tell her lies, the ticking of her jaw, the same tick he had seen on someone else many times before. The bold words, the dark green cloak. Even that evening, when he had been so crass with her, kissing her and grabbing her like she was his to take, and she had slapped him because she had never given herself to him let alone so much as kissed him.

"What did you do?" he whispered, his voice catching in his throat.

"I wanted to have a proper send off, my king," she answered with a mocking smile on her lips, using the play on his title when addressing him. "She caused the blocks on your magic to crack. I don't know what she did to you, but it was very difficult for me to correct. Even when Jadeite first discovered what he was capable of, he did not have the same reaction as you. Perhaps the Martian was kinder to him with her touch."

He grabbed her upper arm, fingers wrapping tightly against the cloak that hid her pale skin. Touching her sent a wave of repulsion through him. "What did you do to me?" he demanded, his eyes noticing the familiar beryl stone amulet hanging from her neck as the front folds of her cloak separated.

"I took a piece of you," she answered. "I took the part of you that makes you Kunzite. I will take you, and I will take the other Shitennou." Her hand came up to rest on the amulet, sharp razored sides threatening to spill her blood as fingertips slid along the edges. Kunzite watched her fingers, remembering as though through a fog how she had placed that cold metal in his hand. He could almost remember the feel of the metal as it cut across his palm, his blood spilling onto the metal and stone, but no mark had remained leaving him to believe it was a waking dream that any of it had happened. "They follow you because they must, and now they will follow me. Will you stand with me? Will you continue to be their leader?"

"I would sooner take my own life than give it to you," Kunzite growled, no longer caring about restraint.

"Your life stopped being your own many lifetimes ago, you just are not able to see it because of the magic that binds you," she smiled. "But I digress. There will be no need for such a dramatic task. I'm sure given the chance, your brothers will be able to convince you of where you will stand."

"They will not fall to you."

"They have already fallen, Kunzite. It's too late."

"Madelyn-."

"It's Beryl," she hissed, her arm slipping through his hand so that he no longer held her. "I answer to a new lord now. You should consider my offer, Kunzite. I will not give you this chance again."

Kunzite stepped back from her, confused thoughts racing through his mind. Madelyn's - Beryl's - this woman's, deception. The Venusian who he treated so poorly. His prince, safe on the moon for the time. The people of Earth rebelling when they were deceived into believing that they had been abandoned by their Prince. His brothers, the other Shitennou, possibly now fallen in battle. He needed to get away from this woman, he needed to clear his head from the onslaught of thoughts and memories clouding his mind. He needed to see for himself whether or not his brothers still stood.

As he seated himself on the saddle and reached for the reins, he froze, a chilled sensation filling him. Darkness began to seep into the ground around him, his horse stomping nervously, unable to find a direction to safety. Fingers made of shadows reach up with the speed of cannon fire, digging into his legs, then arms, then everywhere, reaching in through his mouth, suffocating him as he fought against being pulled down. The horse panicked, and unrestrained by its rider, bucked, kicking its legs high in the air, sending bits of dirt and small rocks flying, its rider flying from its back as it took off running in a desperate gait.

The shadows swallowed Kunzite before he could make contact with the ground, leaving no sign of the struggle save for a set of hoof prints indicating no particular direction of travel.


	13. Nobody Wins

Jadeite

No matter how bad the battle around him raged, he never gave up home. Monsters, creatures of nightmares, surrounded them, but all fought bravely for their cause. Even as the man next to him fell from an attack so violent that Jadeite internally gagged in disgust, he kept hope. It had been so long since he had been allowed to cut free and not have to hold back or follow war etiquette. Instead he threw himself in wholly, slicing and stabbing at all those unfortunate enough to find themselves in front of his sword. Man and monster alike fell before him, and he would not let himself be stopped, not with so much depending on this battle.

When his brother fell, that was when his hope died with him. Zoicite crumpled under a devastating blow to the head, blood staining his once golden locks a deep maroon. Jadeite could not go to him, could not help him, he was trapped under his own assault, left powerless to do little more than watch as the talons of the creature above him slashed across the other man's back, uniform shredding to reveal layers of muscle and bone. The creature shrieked in triumph, it's disgusting head raised to expose rows of jagged teeth dripping with saliva tinted a shade of brown.

Jadeite took no more than a second to decide that he would avenge the death of his brother. He grabbed his short sword from where it hung at his waist and threw the blade across the short distance separating them, into the eye of the creature. It fell to the ground, this time shrieks of pain emitting from lips stained with black blood seeping from the eye wound. It writhed in agony on the ground, talons swinging wildly.

A smile graced his lips watching the creature run through by one of the Venusian soldiers, the creature silenced by death. Avenging Zoicite's death gave Jadeite the satisfaction to know that he could now allow himself the option of death as he succumbed to his own wounds incurred during the course of the battle.

* * *

><p>Nephrite<p>

If his life was to be cut short, then a soldier's death fighting in the name of Endymion and his kingdom was the only option he would allow. He hadn't expected to find himself fighting for his life, he hadn't expected such anger and animosity from the townspeople. Initially he didn't know what had changed in the small town, everyone appeared as normal. It was in those last final moments, when he took his last breath, that he saw the strange people, cloaked in dark capes that he knew what was different about them. Their skin was too pale, like they had never seen daylight. Eyes the color of red, fingers elongated unnaturally, ending in fingernails sharpened to points. Light glinted off of the chest of one of these people as their cloak slid to the side to reveal what was underneath - a stone the color of beryl. He had seen these before worn by people in the kingdom, but it wasn't until the witch stood before him that he understood what it was symbolic of.

His body laid in a heap on the dirty road, small bits of debris clotting against the blood that flowed from fatal wounds. The townspeople had continued on, leaving him for dead, all marching towards the city proper under the hate filled words of the cloaked people. His eyes closed, as he tried to find the strength to pull himself up, but he could not. When next he opened his eyes, a brunette woman stood before him, her hand outstretched as she kneeled besides him.

"Come, Nephrite," she said, "I will take you from here."

"Jupiter?" he croaked, a cough rattling through his parched throat. "How are you here?"

"I'm here to help you. Let me save you."

"Your princess cannot find out about us, you can't be here." Another cough racked his body, a new wave of pain surging through him.

The senshi's hand grabbed his, squeezing his fingers as he responded to her touch. She leaned forward, her elbows resting on the ground as her nose sat meer inches from his own, his eyes closing as small bits of dust shifted under her weight and blew towards him. "It's too late to worry about those things. You're already dead."

Nephrite's eyes opened wide and he tried to find the strength to pull his hand away but could not. No longer was the senshi of Jupiter in front of him, but the woman he had always known as Kunzite's sage. Her eyes were filled with malice, the pupils reflecting shades of red. Her wild hair curled around her face as she stared at him. His eyes cast down to the beryl stone amulet at her chest and it was then that he knew how this battle was lost. It was one of Earth's own that lead the rebellion, spurring the hated of the people of the moon. Dark spots began to flood his vision, his fingers going slack against her grip. He took one last gasp for air, feeling the fingers of death reaching for him.

* * *

><p>Zoicite<p>

Every night he awoke to the same nightmare, sweat beading his forehead and coating his skin as a voice foreign to him escaped his lips. He died - again and again and again. Over and over, it never stopped. Even awake the visions seared his eyes and the pain ripped through his body. Layers of skin, sliced apart by the talons of some hellhound creature not known to the once peaceful Earth. His insides burned as if poison still ran through him.

Death had tried to claim him. Darkness enveloped him. Peace surrounded him. He had died at the side of his fellow brother, fighting for his kingdom and his prince - a soldier's death.

The woman had brought him back. She pulled his soul back to his body, air to his lungs. But she had been too late.

He belonged in the ground.

Endymion had come to him despite the danger that threatened both of them. Zoicite had tried to warn him away. He didn't fully understand what power animated his body, but he felt the darkness that filled him, driving him. Adonis lurked around every corner, always listening to every word spoken. Zoicite knew that Adonis was waiting for him to surrender and it was only after speaking with Endymion that he knew his soul was clean and that he could finally stop fighting.

_"You should not return here. Go back to Elysian and have the priest pray for us," Zoicite had said in bitter parting, fighting for the last remnants of what was left of himself, hoping that Endymion would understand his hidden warning of the danger he faced for being out here in these woods._

_Endymion looked around cautiously and gestured for Zoicite to come closer. "I have just returned from Elysian, Zoicite. Helios told me of your death. Of what you have become. There is nothing that can be done for your body in this life; the dark witch has claimed it. But she does not have you. I release you and I will always forgive you. Do not suffer for me any further."_

"_You are alone without me. I am the last."_

"_I know. But you have already given your life for me, I cannot rightly ask you for anything more. Go in peace, Zoicite."_

It was then that Zoicite gave himself to the darkness.

* * *

><p>Kunzite<p>

Kunzite stood in the darkened area, a circle of illumination surrounding him, casting the trees in his peripheral vision into shadows. He rested on one knee, his sword blade pressed into the soft dirt as he held tightly to the hilt. The images that assaulted him were always different, pulled from his nightmares and brought to life. His sage promised to break him, to make him fight for her, but he would not give into her. Each time she threw something at him, his body would be battered and left at the brink of death. She would always bring him back. He no longer knew the difference between what was reality and what was imagination.

This though, was different.

The air around him moved and did not reek of stagnant water and for the first time in days, he felt warmth around him rather than bitter cold that seeped into his bones. It scared him most of all that he might actually be back on the surface of his planet. That meant that his brothers emerging from the shadows of the trees were more likely real than another torturous trick. She would finally break his resistance. He could not fight his brothers – nor could he imagine taking their lives to protect his own.

"Excruciating, isn't it?" Jadeite asked, his lips pulled into a bitter smile.

Zoicite stepped forward, his eyes turned down to his right hand where he flicked at dirt underneath his fingernails using a small blade in his left hand. "Excruciating? I would say not yet."

Jadeite laughed - the sound callous and empty. "Coming from my poor brother who ripped his own soul from his body, I can see how you might think otherwise.

"Our fearless leader can surely take more than what he has been given," Nephrite interjected, his arms crossed at his chest. "After all, is he not the man who said we should be prepared for anything and everything? I can't imagine that he has seen everything yet. It has only been a couple of days."

"A couple of days, 48 hours, 2,880 minutes. Depends on whether one is feeling optimistic or pessimistic I suppose." Zoicite looked at his right hand before turning his attention to his left hand, the small blade making a dangerous jump between hands.

"I do recall," Jadeite drawled, "that on more than one occasion we played at war for 3 days straight with no break. I'm willing to bet that he will make it four days before he breaks."

Nephrite snorted. "Endymion's head severed from his body will be the only thing that breaks him."

"Perhaps it's the Venusian girl's death. I once heard that they had a secret rendezvous." Jadeite said, lifting his eyebrows suggestively.

"And they say that I have an ear for gossip," Zoicite muttered.

Kunzite kept his head down, refusing to look at the men. Their banter paralyzed him. He didn't want to believe that they were really here. It would make it too hard when he was forced to fight them. This is how she would break him. Madelyn – Beryl – the red witch.

"I realize that you were only trained to rise when a lady enters the room," Jadeite said – Nehprite snickering crudely at the innuendo, "but it is rude to ignore us when you know that we are all waiting for you."

"You are all dead," Kunzite responded, his hands tightening around the hilt of his sword. "She has killed all of you. I know because she has played it over and over and over again for me to watch. You can't be here if you're dead."

"Dead is a only state of being," Zoicite said.

Kunzite took a deep breath and rose to his feet, the sword held by both hands, the tip still dug into the soft ground. The men around him were now strangers to him. Jadeite stood posed casually, a look of malice gracing his features. Even Zoicite who normally wore a neutral expression had a darkness to him - Kunzite could not help but to watch as Zoicite continued to play with the small blade in his hand. Nephrite's battle axe was strapped to his back – either a relic of his reincarnation or intentional in its placement. While Nephrite would attack him outright if he chose to, Zoicite was just as likely to put a blade in his back while it was turned. All of the men were dangerous in their own right – Jadeite was always the one he watched for as they both trained and fought together. He could be cruel when faced with a simple opponent – Kunzite feared what the other man was thinking now that he believed he was faced with a traitor. Were they here to convince him to bend his will? Or were they here to fight the submission out of him?

"She will have you," Zoicite said.

"And you are here to make that happen?" Kunzite asked.

Nephrite stepped forward, further into the light. "You insist on making these distinctions between here and there, right and wrong. It's all the same in the end, Kunzite. We have all prepared our whole lives for this battle and it will happen, the stars foretold this long before our vows were ever spoken. It all goes back to our first incarnations and their oath to a throne. Perhaps you don't see it as you should. Our oath was to protect this throne – not the one of the moon or even our _sister_ planet. Don't confuse our intentions."

"Our oath is to our prince."

Zoicite laughed. "Our oath is to the planet. Turns out that whoever sits on that throne is irrelevant to our cause."

"You can't fight for that witch," Kunzite said, his jaw clenched tight.

"Well," Nephrite urged him to continue in his taunting voice. "Convince them."

"I can't convince them."

"You can convince anyone of anything if you really want to. Try."

"It's too late for all of you."

"Then you plan to fight?" Jadeite asked with feigned innocence, not bothering to hide the malice in his voice. "You've been a brother to me, I'd hate for it to end like this now." It was obvious that despite Jadeite's words he had already decided on how to deliver the first blow.

Kunzite knew that he could take down Zoicite with a quick lunge to his left, but he didn't want to. Not when he'd be forced to take out Nephrite next. Nephrite fought with brute strength when he didn't have his two deadly axe blades handy to make quick work of an enemy. Kunzite swallowed against the thought, his throat raw from being so parched. This was not an enemy – these were his brothers.

"You've fallen prey to the white witch," a new voice said from deep within the shadows, echoes of footsteps closing the distance between them. "She has taken your prince from you and now she uses that whore to fool you into betraying everyone that depends on you for their lives." The figure emerged into the clearing, his golden features illuminated by the heavenly moonlight shining from above.

Kunzite could feel his teeth grinding together in anger. "She is your princess."

"My princess has long since forgotten who she serves. She has already forsaken her kingdom and made this decision. She whores herself for the enjoyment of a savage barbarian." Jadeite could be heard snickering unabashedly in the background. Adonis withdrew a card from his sleeve and threw it to the ground so that it landed face up at Kunzite's feet. It was the Ace of Hearts. "Your love fortune."

"Her fate is to continue fighting so that she will never have to choose between love and duty. I am just another man and I have no right to stand in the way of that."

"Attempting to be chivalrous now won't undo what has already been put in motion. You have the chance now to put everything back as it should be. Will you instead choose to forsake your planet? Will you allow those that love you to be taken over by those that watch over us from above and wish to use their magic to control us?"

Kunzite's eyes shifted from the newest arrival to glance around at the men he considered to be his brothers. Their eyes were bright with danger, arms shifted into positions of feigned nonchalance so that the tips of their fingers could reach weapons sheathed and hidden away in the folds of their uniforms. These men were each dangerous in their own right and the image would have frightened anyone.

Kunzite lifted his sword from where it had been pointed to the ground with a slow precision, the tip now pointed in Adonis's direction. "You have fallen prey to the dark witch, Adonis," he responded gruffly, repeating his earlier words. "She has taken the last shreds of your humanity – forced you into making a promise of allegiance to her that she will never allow you release from. You do your planet and your people a great dishonor."

Adonis took a step closer in Kunzite's direction. "You still wish to fight to defend the man that has left you behind while he fled to the moon? The one who sent you to your death? He knew, as did these three," he gestured to the surrounding shitennou, "that it was you who ran this kingdom, you who had earned the respect of the alliance. Now it will be you that helps to rule the alliance with Earth being at the center as it should have always been."

The tall soldier dropped his eyes to the ground, his head slightly bowed as if in silent prayer. Adonis took another step, reveling in the visible defeat of the strongest shitennou. "Well? What will it be?" His teeth shone ominously like a wolf's. "Kunzite." He spoke the other man's name in a mocking tone.

For the briefest of moments, Kunzite stopped his mind and drew upon his memories realizing that this was the first time the Venusian soldier had ever addressed him by his name. In all conversations, he had been addressed by many titles, but never by his name. It was then that he realized how much the man had changed from who he once was to whom he had now become. Adonis was no longer the soldier who desired to become more than who he was. Now he was something stronger and more powerful and the subtle change in how they addressed each other told Kunzite that the dark witch had given him everything that he thought he ever wanted. It was then that Kunzite knew he could not win this fight.

Kunzite brought the blade towards his body, the flat end resting against his chest, the feel of the heavy metal pushed against his skin as he took a last deep breath. "I think it's obvious what my choice must be," he finally said, his deep voice breaking the silence. He threw the sword to the ground, dim light reflecting off of the shining surface. All eyes turned towards the blade as it slid across the dirt, landing at Adonis's feet. In the same breath, Kunzite withdrew the short sword from his right hip and turned it on himself, plunging the sharp end through his own chest.


	14. Epilogue - The Reliable Witness

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful queen of a kingdom on the moon. She ruled with an open hand, was just and fair, lead the planets into the time of enlightenment and great beauty. Then one day, the most beautiful planet of all slipped away and was no longer part of the alliance. The other planets waved them away and returned to their parties and time of great prosperity. No one ever looked back upon the planet that shunned the changes brought on by technology and magic. After a time, the blue orb was forgotten by the monarchies of these great kingdoms, and after even more time, they forgot that the blue planet had ever been a part of them.

In the land of this far away kingdom, a ball was being held to honor the perfect princess. She was to turn 16 that night - still a child, yet so much an adult. Her guardians helped her to prepare for the party, dressing her in a gown of the purest white and adorning her with strands of pearls. The mirror showed her the face of the child princess, yet inside she no longer wished to be the child that she would always be as long as she resided on the silver moon. She ran away.

Now in a forbidden kingdom even further away, she found herself walking through fields of green, strands of grass tickling her ankles and staining the hem of her dress. Her feet were damp with dew, slippers kicked off as she spun and turned. Laughter carried her through each perfectly executed pirouette and as she spun her final turn, she found herself in the arms of a man so beautiful, her breath was taken away. Midnight hair so dark that it made the night sky appear light in comparison, and eyes so blue that she could not even begin to fathom where in nature she might find something even close. His right hand reached for her silver odango, fingertips brushing over the pearls that held it in place. Her chin tilted up and her pink lips parted. "Hello," she breathed, enjoying the look of the smile that spread over his lips.

A silent soldier watched the broken queen walk through long hallways whose walls were made of marble and inlaid with pearl. Her gown of white was once untarnished and bright, no longer so. Yet she was no longer the queen of anyone or anyplace or anything. A relic; a tiara; a crystal.

The queen knew of her daughter's escape - knew of her senshi's compliance. She tried to stop the events that had been set in motion thinking she would protect her daughter. Rules once considered to be archaic where enforced - contact with the Earth was forbidden. Promises of an alliance between the moon and the blue orb were empty words meant to delay the inevitable romance that was growing. One day the young prince would become old and the young, ageless princess would forget her infatuation with the aged man. She was wrong.

No one paid attention to the swelling darkness drawing life from the sun. The planets turned a blind eye to everything thinking themselves safe in their ignorance.

Although one soldier did. She was sworn to stand and protect time. Each moment of her life existed in multiple dimensions and in infinite times. With every flap of a butterfly's wings, time unveiled itself to her. It didn't matter though. The inevitable was already upon them.

The millennium was coming to an end. The planets of the alliance were dying. One by one, they all became less inhabitable, forcing great migrations. Their technology was too great and had been allowed to run uncontrolled for so long. The planets could not handle the population swells, they mourned the loss of great forests. The people were no longer subject to the laws of evolution, the planets now had to evolve for them.

A battle raged on the ravaged surface of the moon. Shitennou of a time passed now walked the face of the moon - something that had not happened in countless generations. Endymion had been slain. The moon princess had taken her life. Venus killed the dark queen with the holy sword. The other senshi had perished.

Perhaps the Earth was wise to shun what the other planets had so readily embraced. Maybe then the planets would not be so near to their own ends.

Pluto released her staff, the metal fading into nothingness as a light grew from her palms, shining a deep purple in response to the iridescent glow of the white queen's crystal. Where there is life there is death, and with death springs forth new life.

A new senshi appeared before Pluto, dark bangs falling into black eyes of endless depths. A glaive appeared from nothing, the shine of the silver metal cutting through the darkness.

"I am awakened," the soldier said.

"It is time," Pluto answered.

"The senshi?"

"Have fallen."

"And the others?"

"You know they cannot join this fight. It is for us to protect from afar and watch what happens from within."

Saturn bowed her head and jumped into the air, her body fading to nothing as she was reborn into the time that called her.

Pluto called back her staff, opening a window to the moon kingdom where the white queen prayed at her altar, and the soldier once of Venus held his sword, awed to silence by the arrival of the silencer.

Time would tell stories of these events. Legends would be born. Fables told as cautionary tales. No one would know the truth of these last dark days. No one would ever understand that Metallia's arrival had been a mercy. She did not want to imagine a time in her silver age of peace where resources were at such a low that the planets would turn on each other, waging battle in hopes of prolonging the inevitable, one by one, innocents perishing at violent ends. Skirmishes would have broken out for the scarce remaining resources. The weak would perish and the strong would draw far more blood. The senshi would be forced to fight their own people if they did not turn on the moon kingdom themselves.

It was Metallia's war that pushed the millennium to a swift end. Saturn's glaive would bring silence without pain and the crystal would bring life in a time far away where the senshi would hopefully one day find the peace owed to them.

"All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages."

The time of the first act has passed.

Act 2

In another millennia, on a planet once foreign, a shadowed figure jumped from rooftop to rooftop, finally coming to a stop in the glow of the moonlight. Her red masked face looked up to the glowing orb in the sky, her eyes remembering the sights of a lifetime ago, her mind blissfully clean of all sins. A crescent moon compact was clutched tightly in her hand, and with a spared glance at the golden surface, she tucked it away into the folds of her uniform and leapt away into the darkness.


End file.
